Elon Musk's Starship exploded again. SpaceX said the preliminary analysis pointed to a potential failure of the composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV).

According to CCTV News, on the evening of June 18 local time, the "Starship" of SpaceX, a space exploration technology company owned by Elon Musk, malfunctioned and exploded during a static fire test. Live footage showed that as soon as the engines were ignited, the spacecraft suddenly exploded and disintegrated, and a huge fireball shot into the sky.

The accident severely damaged the launch pad, but no casualties or harm to the surrounding communities were reported. Subsequently, SpaceX stated on social media that the "Starship" was preparing for its tenth flight test, and a "major anomaly" occurred on the test stand at the Starbase.

On the next day (June 20, Beijing time), SpaceX released the latest progress on the Starship explosion. Preliminary analysis showed that the accident might be related to a potential failure of the composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV). Currently, the engineering team is conducting a comprehensive data review. Meanwhile, SpaceX said that a safety zone had been set up around the test site, and the explosion posed no harm to the surrounding communities in the Rio Grande Valley. Independent tests (including toxicity analysis) on the internal materials of the Starship confirmed that these materials did not pose any chemical, biological, or toxicological risks.

This explosion was the fourth major accident of the Starship since its first test flight in 2023. During the seventh flight test in January 2025, the second stage of the Starship self - destructed due to fuel leakage caused by vibrations during re - entry into the atmosphere. In the eighth flight test in March, a hardware failure of the central engine led to a chain reaction, and the spacecraft ultimately disintegrated in the air. In the ninth flight test in May, although the Starship successfully entered space, the first - stage booster exploded and the second stage lost control.

Elon Musk previously said, "The combustion chamber pressure of the Starship's Raptor engines reaches 300 atmospheres, which is equivalent to placing three SUVs on every square centimeter of area."

The Starship features a fully reusable design, with a total length of about 120 meters and a thrust of 7,500 tons. Its goal is to send over 100 tons of payload into low - Earth orbit at a cost of less than $2 million. The technical challenges include the coordinated operation of the 33 "Raptor" engines of the Super Heavy Booster, the hot - staging mechanism of the two - stage rocket, and the thermal protection system during re - entry into the atmosphere. In previous tests, problems such as heat shield tile detachment, engine overheating, and hydraulic system failures occurred frequently. This COPV failure has exposed potential defects in the pressure system.

The Starship explosion directly postponed the tenth flight test originally scheduled for June 30. Additionally, the Starship is the core vehicle for NASA's "Artemis" manned lunar landing program and was originally planned to carry out its first manned mission in 2026. If the test progress continues to lag, it may affect NASA's deep - space exploration schedule.

This article is from "Jiemian News". Reporter: Li Kefeng. Republished by 36Kr with authorization.