SpaceX Test Flight Suffers 'Major Anomaly'
Newsweek15 hrs
SpaceX Starship Explodes in Static Fire Test Before Tenth Flight
Above: SpaceX’s Starship 36 explodes in a fireball during a static fire test at Starbase, Texas on June 18, 2025. Image copyright: Creative Commons
The Spin
Techno-skeptic narrative
These repeated failures highlight serious reliability concerns with Starship's design and SpaceX's rapid testing approach. The rocket has now failed four consecutive times this year, raising questions about whether the company's "fail fast, learn fast" philosophy is appropriate for such a critical NASA mission — let alone future missions aimed at colonizing Mars.
Techno-optimist narrative
SpaceX's iterative testing methodology represents standard aerospace development practices, where each failure provides valuable engineering data for improvement. The company's track record with Falcon 9 demonstrates their ability to overcome early setbacks and achieve remarkable reliability through persistent testing and refinement.