A significant fire erupted at a SpaceX facility in Texas during a test of the Starship rocket’s engines ahead of a long-anticipated test flight.
SpaceX is in the process of preparing Starship Version 3 for its upcoming launch debut, which is currently slated for sometime in May. During a test of the Raptor engines at the McGregor test site on Monday, a huge explosion was seen from outside the facility.
NASASpaceflight captured the explosion on video during its livestream of the McGregor facility, revealing footage of the test site smothered in burning flames and a cloud of smoke.
Test jitters
Starship V3 is an upgraded version of the megarocket that’s bigger and more powerful. The rocket is equipped with a more efficient version of its engines, the third-generation Raptor engines. The Raptor 3 engines boast 280 metric tons of thrust compared to Raptor 2’s 230 metric tons, while being lighter in weight and having significantly fewer parts.
The recent explosive incident took place during the second test of the day of the Raptor 3 engine, according to NASASpaceflight. The engine may have experienced an anomaly during the test, leading to a huge plume of smoke that was followed by an explosion from the test stand itself.
This isn’t the first time a Raptor engine test has ended up in flames. In May 2025, a Raptor 2 engine experienced an anomaly that led to a fiery explosion that engulfed the test stand at the company’s Texas facility.
Gearing up for launch
Starship Version 2 lifted off for the last time in October 2025, paving the way for the upgraded version of the rocket to take flight. It is taking a while, though.
Earlier this year, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that Starship V3’s debut flight would take place sometime during the second week of March. By mid-March, the rocket’s inaugural liftoff had moved to April as SpaceX continued to run tests on Starship and its engines. Most recently, SpaceX again delayed Starship V3’s test flight to May.
The latest incident at the company’s test facility will likely not impact the upcoming launch of Starship. The company runs qualification tests of the rocket’s engines before incorporating them into Starship to make sure they meet safety standards. During those tests, some accidents are bound to happen, and that explosion, though it looks serious, may be a minor hiccup.
