Blow for Musk: His mega rocket explodes during test

On Wednesday evening, during a routine test at Starbase (Texas), a Starship mega rocket shattered into pieces. 

“Fortunately, no injuries have been reported at this stage,” stated the authorities of Cameron County on Facebook. “Emergency protocols were quickly put in place and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident.” 

For its part, SpaceX announced on the platform X (formerly Twitter): “The Starship preparing for its tenth test flight suffered a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase,” emphasising that a “safety perimeter around the site was maintained throughout the operation” and that “all personnel are safe and sound.”

Not the first time 

At the end of May 2025, the Starship mega rocket, which had gone to space, had already exploded before its descent to Earth. And, during two previous tests in January and March 2025, the upper stage of the craft also shattered at the start of the flight, scattering burning debris over the Caribbean, reports the media 20 Minutes. 

Such incidents were to be expected since Elon Musk has bet everything on a high-risk strategy: carrying out multiple tests with numerous prototypes and correcting all the problems and failures encountered in flight as they arise. 

(MH with Manon Pierre - Source: 20 Minutes - Illustration: ©Unsplash)