“At 11:01 p.m. (local time), during a routine static test at Starbase, Texas, SpaceX's Starship 36 suffered a catastrophic failure and exploded,” the Cameron County (Texas) authorities wrote on their Facebook page, quoted by AFP.

“Fortunately, no injuries have been reported at this time. Emergency protocols were quickly implemented and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident,” they said.

“Starship, which was preparing for its tenth flight, suffered a serious accident while on a test stand at Starbase,” SpaceX confirmed in a statement on X, adding that “a safety zone was maintained around the site throughout the operation” and that “all personnel are safe.”

“Our team at Starbase is actively working to secure the test site and its immediate surroundings in cooperation with local authorities,” the company added, assuring that “there is no danger to residents.”

This rocket, which is the size of a 40-story building and is the most powerful ever designed, has not suffered its first failure. On May 27, Starship managed to reach space, but the ship exploded before its planned landing on Earth.

In two previous tests in January and March, the upper stage exploded at the beginning of the flight, resulting in a rain of burning debris over the Caribbean and minimal damage.

These incidents are far from the first, as Elon Musk's company is pursuing a risky strategy: launching multiple prototypes to gradually correct problems that arise during flight.

The wealthy entrepreneur is counting on this mega-rocket to realize his crazy project to conquer Mars.

In recent years, Elon Musk has established himself as a key figure in the space sector, with Washington entrusting him with a number of important missions in this field – a partnership whose future is now uncertain following his stormy break with President Donald Trump.

His rockets launch NASA astronauts into space, serve on highly sensitive Pentagon missions, and were soon to play a central role in the long-awaited return of Americans to the moon. | BGNES