Musk updates on Ship 26 explosion
June 23, 2025
Elon Musk was somewhat caught out by talking of significant improvements that had been made to SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket. Then the test rocket, which would have become Flight #10, suffered a spectacular explosion June 19th on its test pad.
Experts suggest the damage to the test stand itself possibly looks repairable. There is obviously lots of damaged plumbing. The pad structure itself is destroyed.
A SpaceX statement said: “Initial analysis indicates the potential failure of a pressurized tank known as a COPV, or composite overwrapped pressure vessel, containing gaseous nitrogen in Starship’s nosecone area, but the full data review is ongoing.”
“There is no commonality between the COPVs used on Starship and SpaceX’s Falcon rockets. So, launches of the workhorse Falcon 9, which has already flown 75 times in 2025, should not be affected,” SpaceX added.
“Previous independent tests conducted on materials inside Starship, including toxicity analyses, confirm they pose no chemical, biological, or toxicological risks,” the company continued. “SpaceX is coordinating with local, state, and federal agencies, as appropriate, on matters concerning environmental and safety impacts.”
The explosion occurred during preparations for Starship’s 10th flight test, which SpaceX had hoped to launch by the end of the month. That is clearly scrubbed, but the delay for the next test launch might be measured in months and not days.
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