Overview

• Ship 36 detonated at about 11 p.m. CT on June 18 during a routine static fire test at the Starbase facility in Texas.
• The blast destroyed the prototype and test stand but caused no injuries, as a strict safety perimeter kept personnel and local residents out of harm’s way.
• SpaceX has postponed its tenth orbital test flight while assessing damage to both the Starship and ground infrastructure.
• Engineers are analyzing test data to identify the root cause and will refine the Starship design ahead of future trials.
• Starship remains central to NASA’s $4 billion Artemis lunar lander contract and to SpaceX’s broader ambition of sending humans to Mars.