Elon Musk SpaceX officially announced this after Starship S36 ''EXPLOSION''... New Data Leaked

Elon Musk SpaceX officially announced this after Starship S36 ”EXPLOSION”… New Data Leaked

by

SpaceX’s Starship Ship 36 was destroyed last night during a routine static fire test—but what really caused the explosion, and how does this connect to earlier leaks from Ship 34? We now have the most compelling evidence to date, with leaked photos revealing catastrophic Raptor engine failures. Let’s unpack the full story—from the test stand blast to what’s next for the Starship program.

What Happened with Ship 36?

On June 18, 2025, around 11 p.m CT, SpaceX began fueling Starship S36 for a full six-engine static fire test at its Massey test site near Starbase, Texas. The process continued until 11:01 p.m, when the rocket suddenly exploded violently on the stand—a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” in SpaceX terminology, completely obliterating the ship and damaging nearby infrastructure en.wikipedia.org+15cincodias.elpais.com+15thedailybeast.com+15.

Smoke and debris scattered over miles; satellite radar even tracked a chunk of metal flying northwest toward Santa Monica—astonishingly, no injuries were reported . SpaceX confirmed the incident via a post on X:

“On Wednesday June 18th at approximately 11 p.m CT… the Starship preparing for the 10th flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Star Base. There are no hazards to residents… safing operations continue.”

The event, captured on livestream, showed a massive fireball and stunning levels of destruction timesofindia.indiatimes.com+3news.com.au+3nypost.com+3en.wikipedia.org+1nypost.com+1.

Signs of a Root Cause: Shared with Earlier Flights

Leaked Photos from Ship 34 Now Illuminate Patterns

Three months ago, during Flight 8 in March, a catastrophic upper-stage failure destroyed Ship 34. Now, leaked internal photos show a vacuum Raptor engine torn apart—its nozzle split, internals shredded—evidence of an extreme engine-level explosion moneycontrol.com+15en.wikipedia.org+15reddit.com+15.

Visuals suggest propellant mixing or line ruptures: blurred imagery hints at smoke or vapor leaking near sea‑level engines moments before destruction. Onboard camera footage from Flight 8 corroborated this—with flames appearing at T+7:45, followed by engine shutdowns by T+8:05, loss of control, then vehicle breakup en.wikipedia.org.

Technical Breakdown: Combustion Instability

Evidence suggests combustion instability—an uncontrolled ignition due to a faulty mixture of liquid methane and oxygen in either Ship 34 or S36. These pressure “spikes” could rupture welds or fuel lines, leading to engine flare-up.

According to SpaceNews and NASAanalysis:

FAA Investigation & Ongoing Fixes

The FAA closed its investigation into Flight 8 on June 12, acknowledging that SpaceX implemented eight corrective actions—updated fuel lines, temperature controls, venting, and nitrogen purges reddit.com+2en.wikipedia.org+2fox4news.com+2. Despite those changes, structural vulnerabilities persisted in upper-stage systems.

SpaceX also performed over 50 long-duration Raptor firings at the McGregor facility to test durability under different conditions. For S36, the revised engine design includes reinforced joints, improved venting, and a nitrogen purge for idle fuel lines to prevent mixing .

A Broader Pattern of Iterative Space Testing

This is one of multiple Starship setbacks in 2025:

SpaceX’s “fail fast, fix fast” approach continues—each failure feeding data loops into the next design, engine variant, and system upgrade cycle. This method, though painful, shortens the learning curve and accelerates progress toward reusable Starship systems .

What’s Next? Ship 37 Takes the Mantle

Following S36’s destruction, Ship 37 is the next candidate for Flight 10. As of June 16, Ship 37 was transferred to Mega Bay 2, its heat shield tiles ~70% installed, and at least one vacuum engine moved in for integration en.wikipedia.org.

SpaceX will likely delay Flight 10 into early August, allowing for:

  1. Post‑blast site cleanup and test stand repair.
  2. FAA safety clearance for five-foot fallow.
  3. Engine and structural upgrades in S37.

Elon Musk has hinted future launches “nothing so far suggests pushing the next launch past next month” economictimes.indiatimes.com.

Why This Matters: Reusability and the SLS Contract

The stakes are high: SpaceX has a $2.9 billion human landing system contract with NASA. Starship must clear reliability hurdles to transport astronauts to the Moon and Mars.

As analyst Will Lockett noted, boosters still face a dilemma—reinforce for reuse or accept fragility, which could defeat the economic model . Upper‑stage leaks, COPV issues, and pressure instability show there are still systemic weaknesses to address.

However, SpaceX has successfully iterated through three flights this year, rebuilding after each failure and continuing toward weekly launch cadence goals en.wikipedia.org+1theverge.com+1cincodias.elpais.com.

Flight 10: A Crucial Turning Point

Successfully flying Ship 37 could dramatically shift Starship’s trajectory:

  • Demonstrate major fixes at scale
  • Restore confidence in reuse costs
  • Rebuild site and regulatory momentum

On the other hand, another failure could force more fundamental design changes, delaying crewed Moon/Mars missions and straining industry timelines.

Timeline Summary

  • Jan 16, 2025 – Flight 7: Propellant leak via harmonic resonance, vehicle destroyed cincodias.elpais.com+1en.wikipedia.org+1gadgets360.com+1en.wikipedia.org+1
  • Mar 6, 2025 – Flight 8: Upper‑stage engine bay explosion, Flight 8 FAA fix package initiated reddit.com
  • May 27, 2025 – Flight 9: Partial mission, but failure on reentry and payload; booster recovered
  • Jun 18, 2025 – S36 static fire explosion: COPV/propellant mix failure kills test rocket en.wikipedia.org+1theverge.com+1
  • Early Aug 2025 – Targeted Flight 10 with Ship 37 after upgrades and site repairs

Final Analysis

SpaceX is pushing the envelope of rocket engineering with rapid iteration. The Ship 36 explosion, while dramatic, fits into a pattern: fast-paced testing, failure, learning, adaptation. The leaked photos from Ship 34 provide a chilling look at the internal violence of engine failures, guiding engineers on what to fix.

With Ship 37 nearing readiness and FAA inspections reopening, Flight 10 will be a critical indicator. Will the fixes hold? Can COPV upgrades, venting systems, and engine reinforcements survive?

For fans of Mars missions and booster reuse, the next few months will be vital. The vision is bold: a reusable spacecraft system that lowers cost, increases launch frequency, and enables the next age of human spaceflight. SpaceX’s approach may be messy, but as the old adage goes: “Success comes from what we learn.”

FAQs

1. What caused the explosion of Starship Ship 36?
Ship 36 likely exploded due to a pressurization failure or propellant leak in the upper section during fueling. Some reports suggest a COPV failure or combustion instability involving liquid methane and oxygen.

2. When did the Ship 36 explosion occur?
The explosion happened on June 18, 2025, at 11:01 p.m. CT, during a static fire test at SpaceX’s Massey test facility near Starbase, Texas.

3. Was anyone injured during the Ship 36 explosion?
No. Fortunately, no personnel were injured in the incident. SpaceX confirmed that safety protocols worked and no hazards reached nearby communities.

4. What is a “static fire” test?
A static fire is a ground test where a rocket’s engines are fired while the vehicle remains secured to the launch pad. It’s used to validate engine performance before an actual flight.

5. Did this explosion affect nearby SpaceX infrastructure?
Yes, the explosion destroyed Ship 36 and caused significant damage to the static fire stand and nearby fuel tanks.

6. Is there a connection between Ship 36 and the earlier Ship 34 failure?
Yes, leaked photos from Ship 34 suggest a Raptor vacuum engine exploded during Flight 8. Similar combustion instability or propellant mixing may have contributed to both failures.

7. What is combustion instability in rocket engines?
Combustion instability occurs when pressure and flame oscillations build inside an engine, leading to uncontrolled temperature spikes, vibrations, or explosive failure.

8. What changes did SpaceX make after Flight 8?
After Flight 8, SpaceX implemented eight FAA-approved corrections, including fuel system redesigns, engine joint reinforcements, and a nitrogen purge system.

9. What is SpaceX’s “fail fast, fix fast” approach?
It’s an iterative engineering method where the company intentionally tests prototypes aggressively, learns from failures, and quickly implements improvements in future versions.

10. What is the status of Ship 37?
Ship 37 is being prepared as a replacement for Ship 36. As of June 16, it was moved to Mega Bay 2, where it’s being outfitted with heat shield tiles and vacuum engines.

11. When will Flight 10 take place?
Flight 10 is now likely to happen in late July or early August 2025, depending on FAA approval and completion of Ship 37’s integration and testing.

12. What are Raptor vacuum engines?
Raptor vacuum engines are optimized versions of SpaceX’s methane-fueled Raptor engines, designed for use in space environments with no atmosphere, offering higher efficiency.

13. Why is Starship’s success important for NASA?
Starship is critical to NASA’s Artemis program—it will land astronauts on the Moon using a version of Starship adapted as the Human Landing System (HLS) under a $2.9 billion contract.

14. Will this delay the Mars mission timeline?
Potentially. While short-term setbacks are part of the development process, repeated failures may push back long-term goals, including Mars cargo and crew flights.

Read More:

2 thoughts on “Elon Musk SpaceX officially announced this after Starship S36 ”EXPLOSION”… New Data Leaked”

  1. Pingback: End of Apple. Elon Musk Finally Announces 2026 Tesla Starlink Pi Phone's Under $175
  2. Pingback: Starship Ship 36 suffers Major Anomaly Explosion, Pad Blow Up...Here's What Happened

Leave a Comment