This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.
SpaceX's second-generation Starship upper-stage spacecraft experienced another anomaly late at night yesterday when it exploded on the test stand. The ship was due to fly on Flight 10, which, according to an FAA advisory issued before the explosion, could have flown by June 29th at the earliest. The firm confirmed on social media that the rocket that exploded in Texas was due to fly on Flight 10 and added that it was cleaning the site up to ensure no hazardous materials were present. The ship exploded as it was preparing for a static fire test after an earlier test had fired a single engine to simulate an in-space Raptor ignition.
SpaceX Experiences Another Setback In Starship Program As Second Stage Ship Explodes On Test Stand
The explosion occurred an hour before midnight yesterday, according to footage from local media. The fire started at the top of the ship and soon spread to the entire vehicle. As the Starship was preparing to static fire its engines, the rocket should have been filled with propellants to provide sufficient fuel for a large fireball.
The explosion is the latest anomaly for the troubled second-generation upper stage Starship. SpaceX's new ship is yet to successfully complete a test flight as it has exploded in two test flights so far this year and failed to achieve a controlled atmospheric reentry in the third flight last month.
Had yesterday's static fire been successful, SpaceX could have flown Starship on the 29th to significantly reduce its turnaround time over Starship Flight 9. Flight 9 occurred nearly three months after Flight 8 as SpaceX carefully worked through the prior flight's data before attempting to fly Starship again.
Apart from losing the ship yesterday, SpaceX's ground testing site at Massey's might also have experienced significant damage from the ship's explosion. The extent of the damage is unclear, and so are any backup ground testing facilities the firm might have in mind to test future ships. SpaceX's Starship program is hardware-rich, as the firm has plenty of ships in its inventory lined up for more tests.
However, it might not rush towards testing these ships until data from the latest explosion clearly points towards a fault. In his presentation last month, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pointed out that he believes a third-generation Starship would iron out most of the program's kinks. Whether SpaceX decides to forego future tests with the second generation ship and skip to the third generation is also unclear, and in a rather cryptic fresh statement, Musk simply remarked, "Just a scratch."
SpaceX's director of Starship engineering, Shana Diez, confirmed the anomaly on social media and called it a "difficult test night." In a statement, the firm confirmed that the rocket had "experienced a major anomaly." SpaceX added that "all personnel are safe and accounted for," and it was cleaning up the site to ensure no hazardous materials remained after the explosion.
Ship 36 has sadly experienced an anomaly at the test site. pic.twitter.com/ywQoY8czkW
— LabPadre Space (@LabPadre) June 19, 2025
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
