A worker died Friday at SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in South Texas, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched an investigation.
The The San Antonio Express-News reported on Monday OSHA and local officials said the unidentified victim died around 4:17 a.m. local time on May 15. Later, The Wall Street Journal reported that the county sheriff confirmed in his speech one worker died. OSHA confirmed to TechCrunch that it is investigating the accident.
Representatives from the nearby Brownsville police and fire departments did not respond to requests for comment. SpaceX and the newly established Starbase City did not respond to requests for comment.
The circumstances of the worker’s death were not immediately clear. OSHA told TechCrunch it won’t release more information until its investigation is complete, which could take months.
The death comes just days before the first scheduled launch of SpaceX’s upgraded Starship rocket. Elon Musk’s spaceflight company is also filing a detailed prospectus this week for its initial public offering, which will be the largest yet when the operation takes place next month.
SpaceX has long dealt with worker safety issues at Starbase, which operates Starship prototype launches and is an active construction zone.
TechCrunch in 2025 OSHA analyzed the data and found that the Texas launch site had an injury rate that far exceeded its industry competitors and was the most dangerous of SpaceX’s workplaces. A 2023 Reuters investigation In 2014, SpaceX’s test site in McGregor, Texas, revealed dozens of previously unreported injuries and one worker death.
In January, OSHA hit SpaceX with seven “serious” safety violations, including failing to properly inspect a crane before it collapsed at Starbase last June. The safety agency fined SpaceX a maximum of $115,850 for six of those seven violations. Federal records show that SpaceX is contesting the penalties.
The company has faced numerous lawsuits in recent years related to injuries it sustained at Starbase. In December, a worker at one of SpaceX’s subcontractors filed a lawsuit after he was crushed by a large metal support that fell from a crane. Worker Eduardo Cavazos suffered a broken hip, knee, and tibia, and OSHA opened a “rapid response investigation,” according to TechCrunch. reported first in December.
OSHA closed that rapid response investigation without taking any punitive action, according to a TechCrunch public records request. The suit was recently dropped because his employer, a subcontractor, provided workers’ compensation insurance that prevented the company from suing, Cavazos’ attorney said.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This does not affect our editorial independence.
