Another rocket from Musk's company explodes during test launch

A mega-rocket Starship from SpaceX, the company of billionaire Elon Musk, exploded during a routine test at Starbase, in the state of Texas, leaving no injuries, local authorities reported on Thursday 19.

“On Wednesday at 11:01 p.m. (1:01 a.m. Thursday ET), during a routine static test at Starbase, Texas, SpaceX’s Starship 36 suffered a catastrophic failure and exploded,” according to a message posted on Facebook by Cameron County officials.

A video released alongside the message shows the rocket connected to a launch arm and, shortly after, a flash is followed by a huge explosion.

SpaceX confirmed on X Network that “Starship, which was preparing for its tenth flight test, experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand.”

The company said that a “safety zone was maintained around the site throughout the operation,” that “all personnel are safe and sound,” and that the Starbase team “is actively working to secure the test site and its surroundings (…) in collaboration with local authorities.” It also assured that “there is no danger to residents.”

Musk, who also owns Tesla and the X network, appeared to downplay the incident: “Just a scratch,” he wrote on his social media account on Thursday morning.

Starship was not scheduled for launch Wednesday night when the explosion occurred, according to Cameron County authorities.

In a static test, the megarocket launcher remains anchored to the ground to prevent liftoff.

Located on the southern coast of Texas, near the border with Mexico, Starbase is the headquarters of the space project of billionaire Elon Musk , owner of SpaceX.

Mega rocket

The 400-foot-tall Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever designed and is key to Musk 's plans to colonize Mars.

It is a rocket classified as fully reusable and has a payload capacity of 150 metric tons.

Thursday's explosion is not the first for the spacecraft. On May 27, a Starship reached space but exploded before its scheduled descent to Earth.

During two previous attempts, in January and March, the upper stage exploded early in the flight, raining debris over the Caribbean and causing minimal damage.

The incidents reflect Musk's company's risky strategy of launching multiple prototypes to gradually fix problems encountered in flight situations.

In recent years, the tycoon has established himself as a key player in the US space sector, although his relationship with the government faces an uncertain future following his explosive split with President Donald Trump .

Its rockets carry NASA astronauts into space, perform sensitive missions for the Pentagon and are expected to play a central role in the U.S.'s long-awaited return to the moon.