Brief June 20, 2025
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A SpaceX rocket exploded Wednesday evening during tests, in what the company called “a major anomaly”. No injury has been reported.
“A clear safety area around the site has been maintained throughout the operation and all the staff are safe and taken into account,” the company said in a press release published on X.
The incident occurred on the test stand around 11 p.m. CT, while the rocket was preparing for its tenth flight test at South Texas headquarters from the company to Starbase.
The company said there was no danger for residents of the surrounding communities, but urged individuals to avoid approaching the accident area while working with local officials to ensure that the area is safe.
The accident marks the last of a setback series for the company’s starship rockets. In January, a rocket separated near the Carribean, releasing a flow of smoke and debris in its wake. The company then lost contact with another rocket in March during a test flight, which separated from Florida. Another rocket, launched in Texas, was uncontrollable before landing in the Indian Ocean.
The company was under the spotlight following a very public spit between CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump earlier this month. In an article on his Truth social platform, Trump threatened to draw government contracts for Musk’s projects.
Learn more:: What Trump-Musk quarrel means for SpaceX and NASA
“The simplest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate the subsidies and government contracts from Elon. I have always been surprised that Biden did not do it! ” Trump said in an article on June 5.
Later in the evening, Musk replied: “In the light of the president’s declaration on the cancellation of my government contracts, @Spacex will immediately begin to deprive his dragon spacecraft.” He deleted the tweet the same night.
It is only when an X user called for peace that Musk has fallen back: “It’s a shame in both directions. You are both better than that. Refroy and take a step back for a few days.” A few minutes later, Musk replied: “Good advice. OK, we are not helpless Dragon.”
Space X has long had an employment relationship with the federal government. At the end of last year, the company said that it had $ 22 billion in government contracts and, in April, the American space force granted the company a contract of $ 5.9 billion, making it the main launch service provider for Pentagon satellites, according to Ars Technica.
