Watch: Massive explosion at SpaceX base during Starship engine test
What's the story
SpaceX's McGregor testing facility in Texas was rocked by a massive explosion on Wednesday. The incident took place during a routine static fire test of the company's latest Raptor engine, reportedly a next-gen Raptor 3 unit. Eyewitnesses and livestream footage captured the moment when massive fire broke out under the newly commissioned Raptor South test stand.
Incident details
Explosion engulfed test stand in smoke and fire
The flames grew within seconds, ending in a big explosion that shrouded the test stand in smoke and fire. The cause of the blast remains under investigation. Early indications point toward either a catastrophic engine failure termed "Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly" (RUD) or a malfunction in the ground system equipment (GSE) of the test stand. The GSE controls propellant flow and other systems.
Twitter Post
Take a look at the explosion
This is why rocket companies have test stands. SpaceX's newest test stand, McGregor Raptor South, with a potential Raptor 3 RUD or test stand GSE (Ground System Equipment) issue causing the fire, which was soon put out.https://t.co/Eh5oaibOBY pic.twitter.com/RkvCQMyoXC
— NSF - NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) May 21, 2025
Propellant volatility
Methane and oxygen may have mixed
The main propellants in Raptor engines are methane and oxygen, both of which are extremely volatile. Experts believe that a leak or combustion anomaly could have allowed these gases to mix and ignite, causing the explosion. Fortunately, no one was hurt in this incident. The company's safety protocols and firefighting systems did their job to contain the fire within minutes.
Program impact
SpaceX's Starship relies on Raptor engines for upcoming launches
SpaceX has yet to issue an official statement on how much damage this incident has caused or how it would affect their Starship program. The program heavily relies on the Raptor engine family for upcoming launches. However, industry observers say such incidents are not uncommon while developing cutting-edge rocket tech.