Mega rocket explodes in Texas night sky, marks series of SpaceX setbacks

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Mega rocket explodes in Texas night sky, marks series of SpaceX setbacks
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SpaceX's Starship 36 explodes after 'major anomaly'
SpaceX's Starship 36 exploded during a routine static fire test after experiencing a 'major anomaly.'
In what the company called "a major anomaly" SpaceX's Starship exploded late Wednesday, June 18, shooting a massive fireball and giant debris into the Texas night sky.
The explosion is not the first for SpaceX and comes on the heels of a string of set backs for the 400-foot rocket system this year.
The company designs, builds and manufactures advanced rockets with the end goal of enabling people to live on other planets.
The blast took place about 11 p.m. local time during testing for the mega rocket in Brownsville, a city in Cameron County on the state's southwest Gulf Coast, SpaceX announced on X.
Starship, "experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand," the post reads. "Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials."
The company, founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, reported no injuries in the blast but asked people to avoid the area as a precaution.
"There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities," the post continues.
USA TODAY has reached out to SpaceX for more information.
What caused SpaceX Starship explosion?
The official cause of the blast remained under investigation on June 19, 2025.
'Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload bay failed below its proof pressure,' Musk said in a post on X, referencing a composite overwrapped pressure vessel (a nitrogen gas storage unit). 'If further investigation confirms that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design."
Just one day earlier, on June 17, Musk's company posted video on X of a "single-engine static fire demonstrating an in-space burn" as Starship prepared for its 10th flight test.
Video captured of the incident shows the rocket appeared to experience least two explosions in quick succession.
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When was the last Starship explosion?
The last Starship explosion took place May 27, 2025, on its ninth flight when a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" occurred about an hour after blasting off.
The vehicle successfully launched but contact with it was lost about 46 minutes into the flight as it spun out of control about halfway and then came apart. Its debris dropped into the Indian Ocean, SpaceX said.
Flight tests also unexpectedly exploded in January and March 2025.
During those incidents, vehicles used in the tests met their demise in dramatic explosions that sent cascades of fiery debris across the sky in Florida and across the Caribbean. The upper stage, the vehicle where astronauts and cargo would ride, separated minutes into its flight during the ascent.
During three tests between June and November 2024, Starship flew halfway around the world before reentering Earth's atmosphere and landing safely as planned in the Indian Ocean.
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What is Starship?
Musk's space exploration company is working for Starship to be a fully reusable transportation system, meaning both the rocket and vehicle can return to earth for additional missions. In the end, the goal is for Starship to carry cargo and humans far into the cosmos.
Musk plans for Starship to reach Mars by the end of 2026, with hopes human expeditions aboard the vehicle would follow in the years after the first uncrewed spacecraft reaches the Red Planet.
Contributing: Cheryl McCloud and Reuters
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [e-mail] and follow her on X @nataliealund.