A worker reportedly died at SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in South Texas on May 15 around 4:17 a.m. OSHA opened an investigation into the apparent accident and has not released additional details, which could take months. Local officials and emergency representatives did not provide comment, and SpaceX and the City of Starbase did not respond to requests. The death occurred shortly before the first planned launch of SpaceX’s upgraded Starship rocket. SpaceX has faced repeated safety concerns at Starbase, including an injury rate that outpaced industry rivals and prior reports of unreported injuries and a death at another Texas site. OSHA previously issued serious violations and maximum penalties after a crane collapse.
"OSHA confirmed to TechCrunch that it is investigating the apparent accident, but did not confirm someone died. Representatives for the nearby Brownsville police and fire departments did not respond to requests for comment. SpaceX and the newly-incorporated City of Starbase did not respond to requests for comment. The circumstances of the worker's death are not immediately clear. OSHA told TechCrunch that it won't release more information until its investigation is complete, which could take months."
"In 2025, TechCrunch analyzed OSHA data and determined the Texas launch site had an injury rate that far outpaced those of industry rivals, and was the most dangerous of SpaceX's worksites. A 2023 Reuters investigation uncovered dozens of previously-unreported injuries and a worker death in 2014 at SpaceX's McGregor, Texas test site."
"SpaceX has long dealt with worker safety problems at its Starbase site, which handles Starship prototype launches and is an active construction zone. In January, OSHA hit SpaceX with seven "serious" safety violations for, among other things, not properly inspecting a crane before it collapsed at Starbase last June. The safety agency dealt SpaceX the maximum financial penalty on six of those"
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