SpaceX rolled out an upgraded version of its Starship rocket booster in south Texas to begin testing on Thursday, but just hours later something inside exploded.
Live streamers watching SpaceX’s Starbase complex captured the explosion up close before dawn on Friday, around 4 a.m. local time. Other creators in the area have since taken photos detailing the damage.
Unlike the fireball explosions that SpaceX has dealt with during previous rocket development, this explosion appears to have blown off the entire side of the bottom of the booster, leaving the rest of it intact. It happened very early in the process as well. According to Ars Technica, the booster didn’t even have a rocket engine yet.
SpaceX said in a post to X that it was conducting a “gas system pressure test” when the explosion occurred. The company said there were no injuries as the area was cleared for inspection.
“The research team needs time to investigate until they can be certain of the cause,” SpaceX wrote on Friday.
The booster was the first major part of what SpaceX called Starship Version 3, or “V3.” Starship V3 is believed to be larger, more powerful, more reliable and capable of docking other Starships in Earth orbit, a key part of SpaceX’s plans to reach the Moon and Mars. (The company flew its final V2 design in October.)
It wasn’t immediately clear what impact this explosion might have on SpaceX’s next steps. But significant delays in the testing program could jeopardize SpaceX’s entire plan.
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The company is aiming for a very busy 2026 for Starship. This includes demonstrating the ability to transfer fuel from a “tanker” version of the rocket to Starship in orbit. SpaceX needs to prove its capabilities to NASA before moving forward with a manned mission to the moon, reportedly targeted for 2028.
NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy has already criticized SpaceX for not making progress on its moon mission fast enough and said he may want to give Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin a chance to win the contract instead.
Blue Origin is increasing the pace of development of its own giant rocket. Just last week, the company launched its New Glenn rocket for the second time, delivering its first commercial payload to NASA. The company also landed the first New Glenn rocket booster. On Thursday, the company unveiled an even larger design for New Glenn that will compete more directly with Starship.
This story has been updated with new information from SpaceX.
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