SpaceX rolled out its first upgraded Starship V3 booster in South Texas on Thursday, but testing came to an abrupt halt after an explosion early Friday morning. Around 4:00 a.m. local time, live streamers monitoring the Starbase facility captured the moment the booster suddenly blew out a large section of its lower structure.
Unlike previous fireball-style rocket explosions, this blast appeared to tear open the booster’s side while leaving the rest of the vehicle standing. The incident occurred unusually early in the process; the booster did not yet have rocket engines installed, according to reporting from Ars Technica.
The damaged prototype was the first major element of Starship V3, a larger and more powerful version of SpaceX’s deep-space rocket. The V3 design aims to improve reliability, support orbital docking, and play a critical role in SpaceX’s plan to reach the Moon and Mars. SpaceX flew its final V2 Starship configuration in October.
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So far, neither SpaceX nor CEO Elon Musk has commented on the explosion, and the company did not respond to requests for comment.
It’s unclear how the incident will affect SpaceX’s tight testing schedule. The company is targeting a highly active 2026, including an in-orbit fuel-transfer demonstration using a tanker version of Starship, a capability NASA requires before approving crewed lunar missions. SpaceX is reportedly aiming for a 2028 crewed Moon landing timeline.
NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy has already expressed frustration over SpaceX’s pace, warning that delays might push the agency to consider awarding future mission contracts to Blue Origin instead.
Blue Origin, meanwhile, is accelerating its own efforts. Last week, it launched its New Glenn rocket for the second time, delivered its first commercial NASA payload, and successfully landed a booster. The company also unveiled plans for an even larger New Glenn variant designed to compete more directly with Starship.
