OSHA Opens Probe Into Worker Death At SpaceX Starbase Launch Site In South Texas

A worker died at SpaceX's Starbase launch site in South Texas on May 15. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation. SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment.

The unidentified worker died at approximately 4:17 a.m. local time on Friday. OSHA confirmed the probe but said it would not release more information until the investigation is complete, which can take up to six months.

The circumstances are not immediately clear.

Starbase, and Starbase's safety record

Starbase is the launch and manufacturing complex at the southern tip of Texas, near Boca Chica Beach in Cameron County. It is where SpaceX builds and launches its Starship vehicle. The site has become its own municipality, voted into incorporation by employees and residents in 2024.

It also has a documented worker injury history. A 2023 Reuters investigation found at least 600 injuries among SpaceX workers since 2014, with multiple fatalities. Workers and former workers have described a culture that prioritizes speed over safety procedures. The death of Lonnie LeBlanc at the Texas site in 2014, killed by a falling composite material, is part of OSHA's permanent record.

OSHA has cited SpaceX in the past. The agency's database is searchable.

What OSHA looks at, and what SpaceX has historically said

The investigation will examine:

• Whether required hazard analyses were performed for the work in progress
• Whether workers had received task-specific training
• Whether equipment involved was properly maintained
• Whether prior incidents or near-misses had been reported and addressed
• Whether shift length, fatigue, and overnight scheduling played any role

SpaceX has historically declined to discuss specific incidents publicly. Elon Musk, who owns SpaceX, has not commented on the May 15 death.

The company is non-union.

The pattern of high-profile worker deaths in 2026

The Starbase death is the third OSHA fatality probe at a high-profile tech-aligned facility this year:

• March — Rivian warehouse in Illinois (Kevin Lancaster, 61, crushed between trailer and loading dock)
• April — Amazon PDX9 warehouse in Troutdale, Oregon (worker, 46, collapsed and died on the floor; Oregon OSHA ruled the death non-work-related)
• May — SpaceX Starbase in South Texas (unidentified worker, circumstances not released)

OSHA enforcement at large tech-aligned employers has been the subject of ongoing congressional and union scrutiny. The Strategic Organizing Center and several unions have repeatedly raised the question of whether the volume of incidents at companies of this size is being adequately investigated.

The Starbase probe continues. We'll publish more as findings are released.