SpaceX Starbase Injury Rates Raise Safety Concerns

SpaceX’s Starbase injury rates far exceed industry norms. Explore the data and concerns behind rapid rocket development.
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SpaceX Starbase Injury Rates Raise Safety Concerns
Why Are SpaceX Starbase Injury Rates So High? SpaceX Starbase injury rates have drawn increased attention following recent data revealing that workers at the Texas-based facility are significantly more likely to be injured on the job compared to their counterparts in other aerospace facilities. According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) records released in 2025, Starbase recorded a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) almost six times higher than similar space vehicle manufacturing companies and nearly triple the average rate in the aerospace industry overall. This has sparked questions around the safety culture at SpaceX and whether the company’s push for rapid innovation is coming at the cost of worker well-being. Image Credits:SpaceX Starbase isn’t just another facility—it’s the heart of SpaceX’s Starship development, a program designed to enable reusable, ultra-heavy-lift launches for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Since 2019, when SpaceX began report…