A Jersey City journalist is recovering after being struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run that ended in a violent multi-car crash and a string of charges against the driver, authorities said. According to police and witness accounts, the collision occurred in Jersey City when a vehicle struck a pedestrian and left the scene. The victim, a local journalist, was thrown to the ground and suffered injuries that required medical treatment. Instead of stopping, the driver, a resident in Bayonne New Jersey, Laura Castaneda, allegedly fled the area at a high rate of speed. Witnesses told investigators that the vehicle was seen traveling at what they believed to be more than 90 miles per hour along West Side Avenue, heading in the direction of Bayonne. Within seconds, the driver reportedly lost control and crashed into three parked vehicles, totaling all three as well as the vehicle they were driving. Emergency responders arrived on scene to find significant damage to the parked cars and debri...
The Incident: A Fuel System Catastrophe
The explosion occurred at approximately 11 p.m. CT at Massey’s Outpost, a test site within SpaceX’s Starbase complex, during a routine static fire test of Ship 36’s Raptor engines. This test was a critical step to validate the rocket’s performance ahead of its scheduled tenth unpiloted test flight later in June 2025. According to preliminary findings shared by SpaceX on X, the explosion was triggered by a failure in the rocket’s liquid methane fuel system. A leak in the fuel delivery system caused an uncontrolled mixing of methane and liquid oxygen, leading to a rapid combustion event that engulfed the rocket.
Video footage from NASASpaceflight.com and other livestreams captured the dramatic sequence: Ship 36 stood upright on the test stand before a sudden explosion erupted near the rocket’s nose, followed by a second, larger blast on its left side. The test stand was consumed by a towering fireball, scattering debris across the site. Slow-motion analysis revealed a chain reaction, with the initial fuel leak igniting and triggering secondary explosions in the rocket’s propellant tanks.
SpaceX’s statement on X confirmed that “a failure in the fuel system led to an anomaly during the static fire test of Ship 36.” The company emphasized that a safety clear zone was maintained around the site, ensuring no injuries to personnel or risks to nearby communities. CEO Elon Musk urged the public to avoid the test site as cleanup and safety operations continue.
Elon Musk’s Response: Optimism Amid Setback
True to form, Elon Musk attempted to downplay the incident on X, calling the explosion “a learning opportunity” and joking that the rocket “just got a bit too excited.” However, the loss of Ship 36, which was intended for the upcoming tenth test flight, represents a significant challenge for SpaceX. The Starship program, combining the 171-foot upper stage with the 232-foot Super Heavy booster, is designed to be a fully reusable rocket system capable of carrying humans and cargo to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The fuel system failure underscores persistent technical hurdles in achieving this ambitious goal.
Why It Happened: A Fuel System Failure
Early investigations point to a malfunction in the fuel delivery system as the root cause of the explosion. SpaceX engineers believe a valve failure or a structural breach in the liquid methane tank allowed fuel to leak into areas where it came into contact with liquid oxygen, the rocket’s oxidizer. This mixture, highly volatile under the conditions of a static fire test, ignited almost instantly, triggering a cascading failure. The Raptor engines, which rely on precise control of methane and oxygen to generate thrust, are particularly sensitive to such imbalances, and even a small leak can escalate rapidly.
This is not the first time SpaceX has encountered issues with Starship’s fuel system. Previous test flights in 2025 have exposed vulnerabilities in the rocket’s cryogenic propellant management, particularly during high-pressure operations like static fire tests. The complexity of handling supercooled liquid methane and oxygen, which must be maintained at precise temperatures and pressures, has proven to be a recurring challenge for the program.
A Troubled Year for Starship
The June 18 explosion is the latest in a series of setbacks for the Starship program in 2025, raising concerns about its reliability. Since April 2023, SpaceX has conducted nine Super Heavy-Starship test flights, with mixed outcomes. The first three flights ended in explosions or breakups, while the fourth, fifth, and sixth achieved partial success. However, 2025 has been particularly difficult:
January 2025: The seventh test flight exploded eight minutes after launch, scattering debris over the Caribbean Sea.
March 2025: The eighth test flight saw the rocket tumble out of control and disintegrate, prompting temporary flight restrictions in Florida.
May 2025: The ninth test flight reached its planned trajectory but spun out of control during reentry, failing to deploy dummy Starlink satellites and breaking apart over the Indian Ocean.
These failures contrast with earlier successes in 2023 and 2024, when three test flights completed sub-orbital trajectories and splashed down as planned. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had recently increased SpaceX’s launch limit in Texas from 5 to 25, signaling confidence in the program’s progress. However, the fuel system failure and subsequent explosion of Ship 36 have cast doubt on SpaceX’s ability to meet its 2025 milestones, including an orbital flight and an in-space refueling demonstration.
Implications for SpaceX and NASA
The Starship program is critical not only to SpaceX’s goals but also to NASA’s Artemis program, which depends on a Starship variant to land astronauts near the Moon’s south pole by 2027. NASA’s significant investment in SpaceX’s development efforts heightens the stakes, and the recent explosion has intensified scrutiny of the rocket’s readiness for crewed missions.
Starship is also central to SpaceX’s plans to expand its Starlink constellation and deploy Optimus robots to Mars by 2026, with human missions targeted for 2029 or 2031. The explosion, which likely damaged the test stand and destroyed Ship 36, will delay these timelines. SpaceX has suspended all launch preparations pending the investigation and repairs, which could take weeks or months.
Risk and Resilience in SpaceX’s Approach
SpaceX’s development philosophy embraces rapid iteration and learning from failures, a strategy that has driven successes like the reusable Falcon 9. The company views explosions like the one on June 18 as opportunities to refine designs and improve reliability. However, the repeated setbacks in 2025, particularly those linked to fuel system issues, have raised questions about whether SpaceX’s aggressive pace is outstripping its ability to address complex engineering challenges.
Supporters argue that such risks are inherent in developing the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. Standing over 400 feet tall when stacked, Starship aims to revolutionize space travel by slashing launch costs and enabling multi-planetary exploration. The fuel system failure, while serious, is seen by some as a necessary step in identifying and resolving weaknesses.
What’s Next?
SpaceX is now focused on analyzing telemetry data, reviewing video footage, and inspecting debris to confirm the cause of the fuel system failure. The company will need to repair or replace the damaged test stand and prepare a new Starship upper stage for testing. The tenth test flight, originally planned for June 29, is expected to be delayed significantly.
The FAA will oversee the investigation, ensuring that SpaceX implements corrective measures before resuming tests. Addressing the fuel system vulnerabilities will be a priority, likely requiring design changes to the propellant tanks or delivery systems. Despite the setback, SpaceX remains committed to its mission, with Musk reiterating on X that “every failure brings us closer to Mars.”
The fiery explosion in Texas serves as a stark reminder of the challenges in pushing the boundaries of space exploration. For SpaceX, it’s a call to refine and persevere, as the dream of a multi-planetary future hangs in the balance.