A SpaceX rocket exploded on Wednesday night during testing, in what the company has called “a major anomaly.” No injuries have been reported.
“A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” the company said in a statement posted to X.
The incident occurred on the test stand at about 11 p.m. CT, while the rocket was preparing for its tenth flight test at the company’s South Texas headquarters in Starbase.
The company has said that there are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, but urged individuals to avoid approaching the zone of the accident while they work with local officials to ensure the area is safe.
The accident marks the latest in a string of setbacks for the company’s Starship rockets. In January, one rocket broke apart near the Carribean, releasing a stream of smoke and debris in its wake. The company then lost contact with another rocket in March during a test flight, which broke apart over Florida. Another rocket, launched in Texas, spun out of control before landing in the Indian Ocean.
The company has been in the spotlight lately following a very public spat between CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump earlier this month. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump threatened to pull government contracts for Musk’s projects.
Read More: What the Trump-Musk Feud Means for SpaceX and NASA
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!” Trump said in a post on June 5.
Later that evening, Musk responded: “In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.” He deleted the tweet that same night.
It wasn’t until an X user called for peace that Musk backed down: “This is a shame this back and forth. You are both better than this. Cool off and take a step back for a couple days.” Minutes later, Musk responded, “Good advice. OK, we won’t decommission Dragon.”
Space X has long had a working relationship with the federal government. At the end of last year, the company said it had $22 billion in government contracts, and in April the U.S. Space Force awarded the company a $5.9 billion contract, making it the leading provider of launch services for Pentagon satellites, according to Ars Technica.
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