Hello friends! Today, let’s dive into the safety scene at SpaceX’s Starbase, where innovation meets some safety challenges.

SpaceX’s Starbase, a giant Texas launch site and a kind of new town, shows injury rates much higher than industry norms. In 2024, injury incidents at Starbase were nearly six times the average for similar space vehicle factories and about three times the overall aerospace sector.

Since 2019, when SpaceX started sharing Starbase injury data, these rates have stayed stubbornly high. The site is home to Starship, a fully reusable rocket Elon Musk dreams will take us to the stars. The company has been working at full throttle, trying to get Starship ready for launching satellites and more.

Since its first orbital test in April 2023, SpaceX has attempted several flights, including some remarkable catches of boosters with robotic arms. But this rapid progress seems to come with a cost: more injuries and safety concerns.

Data from OSHA reveals that Starbase’s injury rate, measured by the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), was 4.27 injuries per 100 workers in 2024. When comparing to other sites, Starbase’s injury numbers lead among SpaceX locations, despite some improvements from previous years. OSHA confirms these figures, but safety experts debate whether TRIR fully captures the seriousness of incidents.

Safety incidents include minor things like stitches but also serious injuries like amputations. Investigations have uncovered unreported injuries, raising questions about workplace safety and safety culture at high-paced operations like Starbase. Meanwhile, other national aerospace companies report much lower TRIRs, such as ULA with 1.12 and Blue Origin with 1.09.

NASA plays a big role, investing billions in Starship, expecting it to carry humans back to the Moon. The agency monitors safety closely but notes that high injury rates don’t automatically trigger contract actions, though they indicate safety issues that need attention.

While Starbase’s injury rate remains high, the broader industry has seen improvements over the past decades, with rates dropping significantly. Nonetheless, Starbase’s numbers remain a red flag, highlighting critical safety improvements needed to protect its workforce.