A SpaceX Starship prototype exploded on Wednesday during ground testing, according to local authorities, setting off a huge fireball seen in wild livestreamed footage.
Ship 36, which was expected to be used for Starship’s upcoming test flight, was undergoing a routine engine static fire test when it suddenly blew up at the Starbase test flight site in Texas just after 11 p.m. No immediate injuries were reported, according to local officials.
Commentators for aerospace news site NASASpaceFlight, which livestreamed the test on YouTube, could be heard shouting in surprise as it went up in flames.
“Oh my God, I’m shaking,” a member of the site’s field team could be heard saying. “That was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“So many questions at this point. What on earth just happened? This is not going well for the Starship program,” the person added. “Of course, SpaceX will pick up the pieces and figure out what went wrong, but very clearly, huge, hugely catastrophic anomaly.”
SpaceX said it was working with authorities to make the area around the test site safe and warned local residents not to approach the blast site.
“On Wednesday, June 18 at approximately 11 p.m. CT, the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase,” the company, whose founder and CEO is Elon Musk, wrote on X.
“A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for. Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue.”
It was the second static fire test of the prototype. The test is supposed to simulate launch conditions and ensure the engine ignites and performs as expected.
It means the tenth Starship test flight will almost certainly be delayed.
The constable’s office of Cameron County Precinct 1 posted on Facebook that Ship 36 “suffered a catastrophic failure and exploded” just after 11 p.m.
“Thankfully, no injuries have been reported at this time. Emergency protocols were quickly enacted, and an investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the incident,” it said.
Local news site ValleyCentral, a CBS and NBC affiliate, reported that people in Cameron County—which is home to SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility—were startled by a loud rumble that rattled items in their homes.
The Cameron County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to ValleyCentral that the rumbling noise was an explosion from one of SpaceX’s static fire tests. The office said it was not commenting on the incident when reached by the Daily Beast.
A spokesperson for the Brownsville Fire Department told local ABC affiliate KRGV-TV that firefighters had been dispatched to an explosion at the Starbase facility, but the full scale of the incident was not yet known.
It follows a string of failures this year for Musk’s company while the billionaire has been tied up in a controversial role as an adviser to Donald Trump. He left his special government role last month after citing a need to focus on his businesses, and went on to have an extremely high-profile bust-up with the president.
SpaceX Starship’s ninth test flight, which took place days before he wrapped up his time at the Department of Government Efficiency, also ended in failure, as did tests number 7 and 8 in January and March, which both exploded shortly after takeoff.
