Watch: SpaceX’s Starship Static Rocket Test Suffers “Major Anomaly” 

During a late-night static-fire test at Starbase, Texas, a SpaceX Starship rocket slated for Flight 10 suffered a “major anomaly” and exploded on a test stand. 

“On Wednesday, June 18 at approximately 11 p.m. CT, the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase. A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” SpaceX wrote on X early Thursday morning. 

On Wednesday, June 18 at approximately 11 p.m. CT, the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase. A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted…

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 19, 2025

The reason for a static fire test comes ahead of an upcoming launch in which the rocket’s engines are fired while the rocket remains securely held down on the launch pad — essentially a rehearsal for the real launch. 

Here’s the dramatic video. 

Massive explosion as Ship 36 explodes on the Static fire test stand.

This will be a major setback as there is likely significant damage to the entire back half of Massey’s pic.twitter.com/8cB7PRWI0e

— Zack Golden (@CSI_Starbase) June 19, 2025

SpaceX noted, “Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue.”

Bloomberg pointed out that Starship testing has ended with a series of mid-air mishaps this year: 

Last month, SpaceX’s colossal Starship disintegrated mid- flight after spinning out of control. That loss was its third consecutive setback after flights in January and March were cut short just minutes after takeoff when the spacecraft exploded over the Gulf of Mexico, sending debris raining down from the sky and disrupting air travel. January’s explosion was caused by a propellant leak while the March failure was triggered by a hardware problem with one of Starship’s Raptor engines, according to SpaceX. Starship 10 hadn’t been assigned an official launch date, and it’s now unclear when the next flight will take place. Following the failure of the ninth launch, SpaceX said it would carry out a data review and make improvements to the rocket system before the next test.

Moving forward, SpaceX engineers will review Starship data, implement fixes, and reset the launch calendar; no new target date has been set for Flight 10.