updates
Ship lost during a Starbase static-fire load
On June 19, 2025, SpaceX said the Starship being prepared for Flight 10 was destroyed the night before during propellant loading, with no injuries reported.
Topics: space-civilization starship
This page is an original Muskularity summary. It does not republish SpaceX’s full post. Figures are the company’s statements on the cited date unless another primary link is named.
Summary
This is the first-night notice, not the closed investigation. SpaceX said that around 11 p.m. CT on June 18, 2025, the ship planned for the tenth flight test was destroyed on a Starbase stand. It had completed a single-engine static fire earlier in the week. During load for a six-engine static fire, an energetic event destroyed the vehicle and damaged the area around the stand, starting several fires. The company said the safety zone held, no injuries were reported, and everyone was accounted for.
Early analysis pointed at a composite overwrapped pressure vessel holding gaseous nitrogen in the nosecone. SpaceX said that review was still open, and that these COPVs are not the ones used on Falcon. It also said prior material tests showed no chemical, biological, or toxicological risk to nearby Rio Grande Valley communities, and that it was coordinating with local, state, and federal agencies.
The closed cause and the hardware changes are in the August 15 report. Do not treat this June note as the final probable cause.
Key facts
| Fact | Label |
|---|---|
| June 18, 2025, about 11 p.m. CT, Starbase test stand | Company initial report |
| Vehicle lost during cryogenic load for a six-engine static fire | Company initial report |
| No injuries reported; safety zone described as maintained | Company initial report |
| Early look at a nitrogen COPV in the nosecone; review not finished | Company preliminary statement |
Why it matters
Static fires at Starbase are part of the flight cadence, and this one removed the next ship before Flight 10. The page is useful because it shows what SpaceX said in the first day, before the later COPV finding.
On this site
Sources
- SpaceX update, June 19, 2025 — Grade A, company initial statement
Return to the updates timeline.