OSHA Cites SpaceX Over Starbase Crane Collapse as Launch Activity Ramps Up

New updates have been reported about SpaceX.

SpaceX faces heightened regulatory and operational scrutiny at its Starbase, Texas facility after the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued seven serious safety violations tied to a June 24, 2025 crane collapse that occurred during cleanup from a Starship explosion. OSHA alleges SpaceX failed to ensure a recently repaired Grove RT9150E hydraulic crane was inspected by a qualified person before returning it to service, did not perform or document required monthly and annual inspections, and used rigging equipment that lacked required safe-load markings; six of the seven violations carry the maximum allowable penalty, for a total fine of $115,850, which SpaceX can contest. The probe remains open, and it is still unclear whether any workers were injured in the incident, which was captured on publicly available footage showing the crane buckling under the load of Starship debris.

The enforcement action underscores persistent safety concerns at Starbase just as SpaceX accelerates operations and infrastructure build-out to support a high-cadence Starship launch program and large-scale vehicle manufacturing. Federal data and prior investigative reporting have already highlighted a comparatively elevated injury rate and at least one worker fatality at the South Texas site, and OSHA is simultaneously investigating a separate December accident involving a subcontractor employee allegedly crushed by metal dropped from a crane. In the June collapse case, OSHA says a second crane operator at the test site was working with an expired certification, and one of the Grove cranes had a recurring computer startup issue, suggesting broader gaps in equipment oversight and workforce credentialing. For executives and investors, the case illustrates growing regulatory risk around SpaceX’s rapid expansion at Starbase: continued OSHA findings could translate into higher compliance costs, potential operational delays, reputational risk, and stricter oversight just as the company seeks to scale to dozens of Starship launches per year and ramp production toward Musk’s stated goal of building thousands of Starship vehicles annually.