A SpaceX rocket exploded on its platform during a routine testing exercise Wednesday in Texas, marking a setback for the company as it looks to dominate space exploration.
The Starship rocket experienced a “major anomaly” while stationary on a training platform at SpaceX’s Starlab facility around 11 p.m., the company said. The anomaly caused a massive system failure, leading to the explosion.
Authorities reported no injuries and said an investigation has been opened.
Wednesday’s incident marks the third Starship to explode this year and the first to explode during grounded testing. The explosions in January and March occurred during test flights.
SpaceX was preparing to launch another Starship at the end of June.
SpaceX has launched Starship successfully four times since 2023, with CEO Elon Musk hoping the rocket program will play an important role in NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions. The missions aim to deliver humans to the moon and are expected to launch in 2027-2028.
Additionally, Mr. Musk wants to use Starship to ferry robots and, eventually, humans to Mars for colonization. He intends to send Tesla’s Optimus robots to Mars first before sending rockets full of humans to build a colony on Mars.
“If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely,” Mr. Musk said in March.
However, the billionaire’s space dreams may be significantly delayed following his public break-up with President Trump earlier this month. The spat between Mr. Musk and the president could prove costly for the world’s richest man, who has relied on government subsidies to expand his business.
