SpaceX has hit an early roadblock in the development of Starship Version 3 (V3), after its first upgraded Super Heavy booster — known as Booster 18 — suffered a structural failure during initial ground testing at the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday morning, just hours after SpaceX announced the beginning of pre-launch tests for the redesigned booster. The goal was to validate upgrades to the vehicle’s propellant systems and overall structural integrity.
Instead, the massive stainless-steel rocket buckled under pressure while on the Massey test stand, rupturing along its lower section and releasing a large cloud of gas.
Unlike previous Starship test failures that resulted in dramatic fireballs, this one appeared more like a pressure-induced blowout. Videos captured by local streamers and observers showed one side of the booster’s liquid oxygen tank collapsing, leaving the rest of the structure standing — but visibly mangled.
Booster 18 seems to have just exploded during testing at the Massey outpost. pic.twitter.com/fmVdYPmWvA
— LabPadre Space (@LabPadre) November 21, 2025
In a post on X, SpaceX confirmed what went wrong during the test:
“Booster 18 suffered an anomaly during gas system pressure testing that we were conducting in advance of structural proof testing. No propellant was on the vehicle, and engines were not yet installed. The teams need time to investigate before we are confident of the cause. No one was injured as we maintain a safe distance for personnel during this type of testing. The site remains clear and we are working plans to safely reenter the site,” the company wrote.
Booster 18 is the first major hardware element of SpaceX’s newly redesigned Starship V3 architecture, which the company hopes will deliver major improvements over V2. The V3 booster is taller, features an integrated hot-stage ring, and is designed to use the next-generation Raptor 3 engines. It also reduces grid fins from four to three, while making each one significantly larger for improved descent control.
While SpaceX is no stranger to explosive test failures, this one happening so early in the V3 validation process could result in delays — especially if the root cause points to deeper design issues.
The timing of the failure isn’t ideal. SpaceX has ambitious plans for 2026, including proving in-orbit cryogenic refueling — a crucial step for lunar and Mars missions. NASA requires this capability before certifying Starship as a human-rated lunar lander for the Artemis program, currently targeted for 2027 or 2028.
Still, SpaceX’s rapid iteration model has always treated failures as data points. The big question now is whether this is just a speed bump, or a sign that Starship V3’s path to orbit will be rockier than expected.
