Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets keep blowing up at the worst possible time
As Elon Musk returns his focus to his businesses, one of his most important companies just had another setback: A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded in an immense fireball Wednesday during a routine ground test.
The explosion marks the fourth failure in a row for SpaceX's Starship, all while Musk's other companies and his personal brand struggle to recover after his foray into politics.
Starship is supposed to help reach NASA's goal of bringing American astronauts back to the moon by 2027: The US space agency is paying SpaceX up to about $4 billion for the mission. Although SpaceX has said that the last three launches before Wednesday's explosions were successful in testing some elements, all ended in mid-flight failures.
SpaceX has long made the case that failures during the testing and development phase are not the harbingers of disaster they may seem. The company embraces a design philosophy called 'rapid iterative development' that emphasizes building relatively low-cost prototypes and launching frequent test flights. SpaceX believes the approach allows the company to hash out rocket designs faster and at cheaper price points than relying on slower, more methodical engineering approaches that can guarantee a vehicle's success.
But the very fiery Starship explosion comes as Musk has been trying to restore his reputation as he returned to focus on his businesses after a controversial stint in the Trump administration. After several months as a top White House adviser and leading the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk is now taking a step back from full-time government work refocusing his time on his companies, including Tesla, which has struggled in part as a result of Musk's alliance with the Trump administration.
Upon his return, Musk has sought to promote an image of safety and reliability at Tesla, which is aiming to launch its driverless robotaxis in Austin on Sunday – although the initial phase is expected to be limited less than two dozen cars and Musk has warned the date could shift.
But before the launch, a group of Texas lawmakers have asked Tesla to delay the roll out of its robotaxi service until September, citing a new law on autonomous driving set to take effect. And Tesla's share price slipped this week, before recovering somewhat, following a report from Business Insider that the company plans to pause production on Cybertruck and Model Y lines for a week at its Austin factory for maintenance, the third such shutdown this year. And in Europe, where Tesla sales have been plunging, Chinese car maker BYD sold more pure battery electric vehicles over Tesla in Europe for the first time, according to a report from JATO, an automotive market research firm.
Musk also has his work cut out for him at his AI company, xAI. Bloomberg reported the company 'is burning through $1 billion a month' as the cost of building out its AI model 'races ahead of the limited revenues.'
Musk brushed off the report. 'Bloomberg is talking nonsense,' he posted on X in response.
Musk also publicly disputed his own AI chatbot Grok, when it posted a fact check about politically motivated violence, noting that 'Since 2016, data suggests right-wing political violence has been more frequent and deadly.' That response lines up with most publicly available data.
But Musk didn't agree. 'Major fail, as this is objectively false. Grok is parroting legacy media. Working on it.' he posted.
Musk seems to be brushing off the setbacks, especially with SpaceX. He said last month that he hoped Starship would make its inaugural flight to Mars by the end of next year — a target that looks increasingly unlikely to be met.
'Just a scratch,' he posted after Starship's explosion before posting 'RIP Ship 36' and memes.
When a user asked Musk's chatbot Grok why Musk was posting memes, Grok responded 'The timing suggests it's likely a humorous comment on the SpaceX Starship explosion that occurred on June 18, rather than targeting a specific person. Musk often uses memes to downplay such setbacks.' Musk responded with a bullseye emoji.
CNN's Jackie Wattles contributed reporting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
20 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Starship's 4th straight rocket explosion is the latest public setback for Musk's Mars dreams
SpaceX's flagship rockets keep blowing up. On Wednesday night, one of the Elon Musk-run space technology company's latest rockets erupted into an inferno on the launchpad. The explosion, which enveloped a portion of SpaceX's Starbase campus in Texas in fire and smoke, was meant to be a routine test ahead of a launch for the company's Starship program. The company plans to use Starship rockets — the successor to its Falcon models — to conduct missions to the moon, and eventually, Mars. Wednesday's explosion marks the fourth consecutive failure for SpaceX's Starship rockets this year. In May, a Starship rocket successfully made it through the Earth's atmosphere — but failed to release a payload of practice satellites into space and then spun out of control on its trip back to the planet. Starship rockets also exploded on two other trips this year. SpaceX has embraced its failures, using data collected from explosions and missteps to improve future products. Wednesday's explosion was intended to be a "static fire test," where the engines fire while the rocket is held on the launchpad with clamps, rather than launched into the atmosphere. Musk brushed off the mishap as "just a scratch." He said that preliminary data showed the failure was related to a container of pressurized nitrogen in the payload bay. "If further investigation confirms that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design," Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter. A representative for SpaceX didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. On X, the company said the test experienced "a major anomaly." It said all of the company's personnel were safe and accounted for. This year's string of failures marks a stark departure from last year, where the Starship program had better success, proving that its rockets could be reused and even land vertically after a trip to space. Although SpaceX is a private company, Musk had come under scrutiny from Tesla shareholders earlier this year over his role in President Donald Trump's administration. A number of major shareholders have complained that Musk had been spending less time operating the company while he oversaw the Department of Government Efficiency. SpaceX is heavily reliant on government contracts, and has one with NASA for the Starship to put astronauts on the moon by 2027, before Trump's term ends. Musk left the administration earlier this month and exchanged verbal volleys with Trump, accusing him without evidence of blocking the release of government documents related to the now-dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The White House called Musk's comments "unfortunate." SpaceX typically conducts test launches frequently and has a high tolerance for failure, knowing the next test is just around the corner. The strategy has worked well for the company's Falcon rocket program, which in over a decade has launched hundreds of flights. On Monday, the company successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket into space. The rocket sent more than two dozen Starlink satellites into orbit. "SpaceX's philosophy is 'fail fast, learn faster' and usually is undeterred by failures like this one," wrote space policy analyst Marcia Smith of the Starship explosion.
CBS News
41 minutes ago
- CBS News
Memphis mayor targeted in stalking and attempted kidnapping incident, police say
A man has been charged with stalking, attempted kidnapping and aggravated criminal trespass after allegedly scaling a wall and knocking on the door of Memphis Mayor Paul Young's residence in Tennessee, police say. The Memphis Police Department said Wednesday that it recovered "a taser, gloves, rope and duct tape" from the vehicle of 25-year-old Trenton Abston as he was arrested. The suspect allegedly approached the home on Sunday "with gloves on, a full pocket, and a nervous demeanor," Young wrote Wednesday on Facebook. Abston was listed as an inmate in the Shelby County Sheriff's Office database, which showed a hearing for him scheduled for Friday. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf. CBS News has reached out to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. The incident comes on the heels of what officials called politically motivated shootings last week in which Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed in their home and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were wounded. The suspect, who has been taken into custody, impersonated police officers as he approached their homes and shot his victims, according to investigators. Young wrote on Facebook that political violence "simply cannot become our norm." "In today's climate, especially after the tragic events in Minnesota and the threats my wife and I often receive online, none of us can be too careful," Young said. "The link between angry online rhetoric and real-life violence is becoming undeniable." "What starts as reckless words online can all too quickly become something much more dangerous," the mayor continued. "The angry rhetoric, the hateful speech, and the heated threats create a culture where violence feels like a next step instead of a red line." Young was elected mayor in 2023 and was sworn in on Jan. 1, 2024. He was previously the director of Memphis' Division of Housing and Community Development. State and local officeholders reported increasing levels of threats in recent years, according to a January 2024 report from the Brennan Center, a nonpartisan law and policy institute. The threats range from insults to physical attacks, according to the report, with 18% of local officeholders experiencing threats. The same day of the Minnesota shootings, June 14, the Texas Department of Public Safety Capitol Region said it was notified of a threat made against Texas lawmakers. A suspect was taken into custody for further questioning and the investigation is ongoing, the agency wrote on X.
CBS News
44 minutes ago
- CBS News
Rev. Al Sharpton, filmmaker Spike Lee speak out on Juneteenth
Juneteenth commemorates the day enslaved people in Texas finally learned they were free. It happened more than two years after the emancipation proclamation. In Brooklyn Thursday, Rev. Al Sharpton and filmmaker Spike Lee marked the holiday by speaking out about racial injustice, immigration reforms, and the continued fight for freedom. The two Brooklyn natives reflected on Juneteenth's meaning at a breakfast in their home borough. "We learned from our history," Lee said. "Juneteenth started because Texas never informed those who were enslaved that they were free," Sharpton said. Although the emancipation proclamation took effect in 1863, slavery continued in Texas for more than two years until Union troops arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865 with a document called General Order No. 3, which declared "all slaves are free." Sharpton and Lee say the fight for freedom now means showing up at the ballot box, including for next Tuesday's mayoral primary. "People died for us to have the chance to vote," Lee said. "That's why it is important that people register and vote. Vote in the mayor's election, whoever you're voting for. Vote in every election. Because they're trying to erase Black history," Sharpton said. The pair protested the Trump administration's immigration policies, blasting the latest travel ban which restricts entry from 12 countries. "I think the travel ban, the fact that Haiti and several other countries, all Black and Brown countries, are on the travel ban, shows outright bigotry," Sharpton said. Local leaders say Juneteenth is a reminder that the fight for freedom isn't over "Racism is still alive and well in America," Brooklyn resident Darryl E. Jones said. It's to never forget what the struggle is about." "July 4th is independence from kings — but Juneteenth is independence for me and my people. That's when we were freed from the people of this country," Brooklyn resident Teegee Wilson said. Juneteenth is a day to reflect on the past and the future. "Onward and upward. Let's move forward," Lee said.
