Elon Musk reacts to SpaceX's Starship blast with a casual three-word response. Here's what he said
A prototype of SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded late Tuesday night during fueling operations at the company's test facility in Boca Chica, Texas, lighting up the night sky and scattering debris across the site. No injuries were reported, but the vehicle — designated Ship 36 — was completely destroyed.
The incident occurred around 11 p.m. Central Time as engineers were preparing for a
static fire test
of the ship's six
Raptor engines
. Static fires are routine pre-launch procedures that involve igniting the engines while the rocket remains anchored to the test stand. According to SpaceX, the vehicle experienced a 'major anomaly' during the liquid oxygen and methane fueling stage.
Footage shared by local observers showed a sudden and intense explosion engulfing the test stand, followed by flames and shockwaves visible from miles away. Residents near the coastal launch site reported tremors and a burst of light that briefly lit up the surrounding area.
In a post on X,
Elon Musk
reacted to the explosion with the words: 'just a scratch.' The remark, while understated, is in line with SpaceX's long-standing approach of learning through high-risk test campaigns.
— elonmusk (@elonmusk)
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No injuries, but launch timeline now in question
SpaceX confirmed that all personnel were safe and a safety perimeter had been maintained throughout the test. 'Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials,' the company said in a statement.
Authorities also clarified that there was no danger to nearby communities and asked the public to stay away from the area while securing operations continue.
The failed test marks another setback for the Starship program, which is central to SpaceX's long-term vision of deep space exploration. Ship 36 had been undergoing final system checks ahead of its scheduled test flight, which was tentatively planned for June 29.
The company was also preparing to reuse a
Super Heavy booster
for the first time — a milestone in its drive to make spaceflight fully reusable.
Mars ambitions remain, despite recent setbacks
This is not the first major mishap for Starship this year. Two previous test flights in 2025 ended in explosions — one over the Atlantic and another over the Caribbean. In both cases, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched investigations, and temporary airspace restrictions followed.
Despite these challenges, SpaceX continues to pursue ambitious plans for Mars. Musk has said the company remains committed to launching an uncrewed Starship to the Red Planet by late 2026, potentially carrying a payload that includes humanoid Optimus robots developed by Tesla.
Human missions would follow in later phases, with Musk envisioning a fleet of up to 2,000 Starships eventually ferrying people and cargo to establish a permanent settlement.
For now, however, the focus returns to Starbase, where engineers will comb through data from Tuesday night's explosion in an effort to identify the cause and refine safety protocols.
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