A fatal incident occurred at SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in South Texas on Friday, resulting in the death of a worker. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has initiated an investigation into the matter.
According to a report by the San Antonio Express-News on Monday, the unidentified worker died at approximately 4:17 a.m. local time on May 15. The information was provided by OSHA and local officials. Further confirmation of the incident came from the county sheriff, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, which stated that a worker had died. OSHA has verified to JS that an investigation into the apparent accident is underway.
Requests for comments from the Brownsville police and fire departments, as well as SpaceX and the newly incorporated city of Starbase, went unanswered.
Details surrounding the worker’s death remain unclear. OSHA informed JS that no additional information will be released until the investigation is concluded, a process that could take several months.
The incident occurred just days before the scheduled launch of SpaceX’s upgraded Starship rocket. Additionally, Elon Musk’s company is expected to release the detailed prospectus for its upcoming initial public offering this week, which is anticipated to be the largest of its kind when it occurs next month.
SpaceX has faced ongoing challenges related to worker safety at its Starbase facility, which manages Starship prototype launches and operates as an active construction zone.
A 2025 analysis by JS of OSHA data revealed that the Texas launch site had an injury rate significantly higher than its industry counterparts, making it the most hazardous of SpaceX’s facilities. Moreover, a 2023 Reuters investigation uncovered numerous previously unreported injuries and a worker fatality in 2014 at SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas, test site.
In January, OSHA cited SpaceX with seven “serious” safety violations, including the failure to properly inspect a crane that collapsed at Starbase the previous June. The agency imposed the maximum financial penalty for six of these violations, amounting to $115,850. SpaceX is contesting these penalties, according to federal records.
In recent years, SpaceX has faced several lawsuits related to injuries at the Starbase site. In December, an employee of a SpaceX subcontractor filed a lawsuit after being crushed by a large metal support dropped from a crane. The worker, Eduardo Cavazos, sustained a broken hip, knee, and tibia. OSHA launched a “rapid response investigation,” as initially reported by JS in December.
The rapid response investigation was subsequently closed by OSHA without punitive measures, based on a JS public records request. The lawsuit was dismissed because the subcontractor provides workers’ compensation insurance, which precludes the company from being sued, according to Cavazos’ attorney.
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