Overview

• The Starship upper stage, Ship 36, suffered a catastrophic failure during a static fire on June 18 at SpaceX’s Starbase facility with no injuries reported.
• SpaceX described the event as a “major anomaly” and confirmed that a safety perimeter kept all personnel out of harm’s way.
• Preliminary data suggest a nitrogen composite overwrapped pressure vessel in the payload bay failed below proof pressure, a first for this design.
• The explosion inflicted heavy damage on both the prototype and its test stand, putting the scheduled late-June launch date into question.
• SpaceX is working with federal regulators on a detailed investigation and plans necessary design upgrades before attempting the next Starship flight.