Elon Musk Blames ‘First Time Ever’ Nitrogen Unit Failure Behind Dramatic Starship Explosion

SpaceX’s giant Starship launch vehicle exploded before an engine test on Wednesday following a nitrogen storage unit failure, CEO Elon Musk said in a post on X.

This marked the fourth consecutive time in 2025 that SpaceX lost the 400-foot-tall launch vehicle, dealing another blow to the company, which aims to carry NASA astronauts to the moon by mid-2027.

“Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload bay failed below its proof pressure. If further investigation confirms that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design,” Musk said.

On Wednesday, at about 11 p.m. local time, the Starship, preparing for the tenth flight test, experienced an anomaly while on a test stand at the Starbase launch facility, SpaceX said in a post on X.

The company said the explosion resulted in the complete loss of the Starship and ignited several fires at the test site near Brownsville, Texas. SpaceX said it had evacuated all personnel from the area and will assess the impact once it has been determined to be “safe to approach.”

In May, Starship took off before losing control more than half an hour later and falling into the Indian Ocean. Earlier tests this year have also resulted in failures.

“There are no reported injuries, and all personnel are safe and accounted for. There are no hazards to the surrounding communities in the Rio Grande Valley,” SpaceX reiterated.

NASA has awarded SpaceX a $4 billion contract to develop a Spaceship that will take humans to the moon’s surface for the first time in decades. If the engine test is successful, SpaceX hopes to launch within the coming weeks.

The latest failure comes after Musk ended his special advisory role in the Trump administration as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Earlier this month, Musk and Trump sparred online over the U.S. President’s signature tax bill, which will add trillions to the federal debt.

During the war of words, Trump threatened to cancel all contracts with Musk’s companies. Taking the threats seriously, Tesla's CEO said he would scrap SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft before backing down.

However, retail Sentiment on Stocktwits about SpaceX’s rival, Rocket Lab, was still ‘bearish’ following the Starship explosion.

“It’s just a matter of time until RocketLab has the same capabilities as SpaceX. Give it time. Won’t matter if SpaceX floats or fails,” one user said.

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