
Video shows SpaceX Starship explosion at Texas launch site
A SpaceX Starship exploded at a launch site in Texas Wednesday night, bursting into a massive fireball. Video shows the explosion, which SpaceX said occurred as the Starship was preparing for a flight test.
The Starship "experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase," SpaceX's launch site in Texas, the company said on X.
"A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for," SpaceX said.
The company said there here are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities and asked that people avoid the area "while safing operations continue."
Video from LabPadre, the company that monitors SpaceX activities at Starbase, appears to show two major explosions — the first near the rocket's nose, and the second on the left side of the spacecraft. The Starship was being filled with liquid oxygen and high-energy methane fuel at the time the detonations happened.
Starship is comprised of a spacecraft and a Super Heavy rocket that together are intended to be a reusable system that can carry cargo and crew to the Moon and Mars.
SpaceX has launched nine Super Heavy-Starship test flights over the last 12 years, with the first three ending with explosions or breakups and the next three being partially successful. The next two resulted in explosions and the most recent flight, in May, reached its trajectory but broke up during atmospheric entry after spinning out of control.
Known as Ship 36, SpaceX was planning to launch the Starship around the end of this month on a huge Super Heavy booster, in what would have been the rocket's tenth test fight.
contributed to this report.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


WebMD
7 minutes ago
- WebMD
FDA Approves First Twice-Yearly Shot to Prevent HIV
June 19, 2025 – The FDA has approved the first twice-yearly shot to reduce the risk of HIV infections. Originally approved in 2012, the drug – known as lenacapavir but sold under the name Yeztugo – offers a new way to protect against this life-threatening infection that affects more than a million people in the U.S. and has no cure. The shot is given before potential exposure to the virus. HIV spreads through unprotected sex and shared needles (including dirty needles from tattoos and body piercings). It weakens the immune system, and in its advanced stage, the body can no longer fight off infections, leading to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Only about a third of eligible people in the U.S. use available HIV prevention, with especially low use among women, Black/African American and Hispanic communities, and people in the South. This is mainly due to stigma, low awareness about existing options, and challenges with daily pills or frequent shots. Carlos del Rio, MD, a distinguished professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory University School of Medicine, said that getting a shot just twice a year could make it easier for people to stick with prevention. "Yeztugo could be the transformative PrEP [pre-exposure prophylaxis] option we've been waiting for – offering the potential to boost PrEP uptake and persistence and adding a powerful new tool in our mission to end the HIV epidemic," said del Rio, who is also co-director of the Emory Center for AIDS Research in Atlanta. Gilead, the drug's maker, said the FDA approved Yeztugo based on two major studies, which showed that it worked better than taking a daily pill form of PrEP in preventing HIV with a nearly 100% success rate. In one trial, none of the 2,134 women who received Yeztugo got HIV, while in the other, only two out of 2,179 people did. It was well tolerated with no new safety concerns, which led the academic journal Science to name lenacapavir as its 2024 "Breakthrough of the Year." Yeztugo attacks a protective shell that HIV needs to stay alive, which helps stop the virus from growing and spreading. Most HIV drugs only work at one part of the virus's life cycle, but Yeztugo works at several points. It also still works even if other HIV drugs have stopped working. It is given as a shot under the skin and is only for people who test negative for HIV. Before starting Yeztugo and before each shot, your provider will test for HIV to prevent the virus from developing resistance to the medication. The treatment begins with two shots and two tablets, followed by two more tablets the next day – then continues with one shot every six months. If a shot is delayed by over two weeks, a weekly pill can be used for up to six months. If over 28 weeks pass with no treatment, patients may need to restart. If a patient gets HIV while on Yeztugo, they'll need full HIV treatment, as Yeztugo alone isn't enough. Yeztugo helps lower the risk of HIV when taken as prescribed, along with safe sex practices like using condoms.


CNET
22 minutes ago
- CNET
RIP Microsoft Passwords: Here's How to Set Up a Passkey Before the August Deadline
Risky password habits can have big consequences, and some companies are making it easier to stay secure online by ditching decades-old password methods and implementing passkeys instead. Microsoft intends to do the same starting in August. Whether you have an easy-to-guess password or it's leaked in a company data breach, if hackers get hold of it, it can open the door to identity theft and fraud. A recent CNET survey found that 49% of US adults have risky password habits, like using the same password for multiple accounts and even using personal information, like your name, as a part of your password. If you use Microsoft Authenticator to store your passwords, here's what you need to know about the transition and how to set up passkeys before the deadline. Microsoft Authenticator won't support passwords after August Currently, Microsoft Authenticator houses all of your passwords and lets you sign into all of your Microsoft accounts using a PIN, facial recognition, such as Windows Hello, or other biometric data, like a fingerprint. Authenticator can be used in other ways, such as verifying that you're logging in if you forgot your password, or using two-factor authentication as an extra layer of security for your Microsoft accounts. How you use the app will change starting this month, according to Microsoft: June 2025 - Microsoft said you'll no longer be able to add passwords to the Authenticator app. Microsoft said you'll no longer be able to add passwords to the Authenticator app. July 2025 - You won't be able to use the autofill password function. You won't be able to use the autofill password function. Aug. 2025 - You'll no longer be able to use saved passwords. If you still want to use passwords instead of passkeys, you can store them in Microsoft Edge. But CNET experts recommend adopting passkeys during this transition. "Passkeys use public key cryptography to authenticate users, rather than relying on users themselves creating their own (often weak or reused) passwords to access their online accounts," said Attila Tomaschek, CNET software senior writer and digital security expert. Why passkeys are a better alternative to passwords So what exactly is a passkey? It's a credential created by the Fast Identity Online Alliance that uses biometric data or a PIN to verify your identity and access your account. Think about using your fingerprint or Face ID to log into your account. That's generally safer than using a password that is easy to guess or susceptible to a phishing attack. "Passwords can be cracked, whereas passkeys need both the public and the locally stored private key to authenticate users, which can help mitigate risks like falling victim to phishing and brute-force or credential-stuffing attacks," Tomaschek added. Passkeys aren't stored on servers like passwords. Instead, they're stored only on your personal device. More conveniently, this takes the guesswork out of remembering your passwords and the need for a password manager. How to set up a passkey in Microsoft Authenticator Microsoft said in a May 1 blog post that it will automatically detect the best passkey to set up and make that your default sign-in option. "If you have a password and 'one-time code' set up on your account, we'll prompt you to sign in with your one-time code instead of your password. After you're signed in, you'll be prompted to enroll a passkey. Then the next time you sign in, you'll be prompted to sign in with your passkey," according to the blog post. To set up a new passkey, open your Authenticator app on your phone. Tap on your account and select "Set up a passkey." You'll be prompted to log in with your existing credentials. After you're logged in, you can set up the passkey.


Android Authority
24 minutes ago
- Android Authority
Google Phone's Material 3 Expressive revamp and new call gestures are starting to roll out
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Google has started rolling out the Phone app's Material 3 Expressive redesign on the beta channel. The updated interface brings visual changes to the in-call screen and Recent tab. It also introduces two new incoming call gesture options for the incoming call screen. Google has started rolling out the Material 3 Expressive redesign of its Phone app to some users, which we first spotted in a teardown late last month. It includes visual changes for the app's Recent tab and in-call screen, along with two new interfaces for the incoming call screen. Google Phone's Expressive makeover appears to be rolling out via a server-side update on the latest beta release (version 180.0.771769344). As shown previously, the updated in-call screen features larger UI elements, including bigger pill-shaped buttons, contact names, and caller photos. The Recent tab has also received a minor change, and the recent calls list now has a contrasting background with rounded edges. Google has also rolled out the new 'Incoming call gesture' setting to the Phone app, which lets you choose one of two new incoming call screen interfaces. If you pick the 'Single tap' gesture, the incoming call interface features 'Answer' and 'Decline' buttons that you can tap to receive or end an incoming call. The 'Horizontal swipe' gesture, on the other hand, adds a pill-shaped slider to the incoming call screen. It has a phone button in the middle and options to answer or decline the call on either side. On this interface, you can swipe the phone button to the right to receive a call or to the left to decline it. These Google Phone app changes aren't widely available, but we expect Google to roll them out soon. We'll update this post when the Phone app's Material 3 Expressive makeover hits the stable channel. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.