SpaceX Technician Placed in Comatose After Rocket Test Fractured His Skull

New information on a SpaceX technician's severe injuries sustained during a routine test provides a new understanding of the expenses associated with the breakneck pace at which businesses are racing to launch more rockets.

A routine test of the SpaceX Raptor V2 rocket engine went awry earlier this year, according to a report published on Tuesday by Semafor, injuring a 10-year veteran of SpaceX severely on the head and putting him in a coma for many months.

Former SpaceX intern Julia Crowley Farenga, who spoke with Business Insider, said they identified the worker as Francisco Cabada, a father of three who resides in Los Angeles. More anonymous sources from Semafor and Insider confirmed his identity and severe injuries.

Crowley Farenga said Cabada was doing the test when a plate fell off after the valve reached its maximum pressure, struck him, and knocked him to the ground.

SpaceX Rocket Technician in Coma After Rocket Test Accident

An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation released in February mentioned that a worker identified as an "integration technician" inspected the Raptor V2 engine's pneumatic pressure at about 12:45 p.m. PT (3:45 ET) on January 18.

Instead of using the customary manual procedure previously, the employee used automated software. The released pressure ripped the gasoline controller lid from the controller module and hit the technician.

The study said the technician went into a months-long coma due to a skull fracture and brain trauma. Through July and August, SpaceX was penalized $18,475 for two safety infractions, one classified as "serious" with a gravity rating of 10. The OSHA case remains pending.

Cabada's sister uploaded a TikTok video about the incident on March 16 in which she talked about how much his family missed him.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 Crew Arrival for Prelaunch Activities

(Photo: Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images)
In this handout photo provided by NASA, NASA astronaut Nicole Mann speaks to members of the media after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility with fellow crew members Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, third from left, NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, second from right, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right at NASA's Kennedy Space Center ahead of SpaceX's Crew-5 mission, October 1, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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No Comment Yet from SpaceX

SpaceX has not yet released a statement to the general public or its personnel regarding the mishap, Space.com said.

For its new Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster, a completely reusable launch vehicle that, when stacked together, becomes the world's highest rocket at 394 feet, SpaceX's Raptor 2 engine is the company's go-to engine (120 meters). At launch, the Super Heavy rocket will utilize 33 Raptor 2 engines, and the Starship will use six Raptor 2 engines to finish its journey into orbit. In addition to sending space tourists on at least two independent orbits of the moon, SpaceX intends to utilize Starship to put NASA astronauts on the moon for the agency's Artemis 3 mission in 2025.