SpaceX experienced a significant setback in South Texas on Friday when one of its newest and most powerful rockets, a Starship Super Heavy booster, exploded during a routine ground test.
The vehicle, called Booster 18, was the very first model of SpaceX’s upgraded, next-generation design, called “Block 3.”
The accident occurred at the company’s Starbase facility as the towering rocket was going through gas-system pressure checks.
Footage captured by observers showed the lower part of the massive, 70-meter-tall booster suddenly collapse and rupture violently around 4:04 a.m. local time. The rupture came in the giant liquid oxygen tank, sending a large plume of gas and debris into the air.
Booster 18 seems to have just exploded during testing at the Massey outpost. pic.twitter.com/fmVdYPmWvA
— LabPadre Space (@LabPadre) November 21, 2025
Booster 18: Shocking Force of the Failure
But the powerful explosion that ripped through the structure was strong enough to damage a 20-story building, yet the giant booster incredibly stayed upright on the test stand.
Clearly visible in post-explosion images was the severe structural damage, which included a huge hole torn open in the liquid oxygen tank.
SpaceX was quick to confirm the incident, stating that Booster 18 “suffered an anomaly” during pressure testing of the gas system.
Booster 18 successfully completed it’s Cryo test and will now roll back to the production site for final preparations ahead of static fire at Pad-B!!! pic.twitter.com/zTD7M8GZ4d
— Testflight (@_Testflight_) November 21, 2025
Most importantly, though, the company underlined that no fuel had been loaded onto the rocket, and no powerful Raptor engines were installed. Most crucially, all personnel were kept at a safe distance during the test, meaning no one was injured.
Early investigations indicate the explosion was most likely triggered by the failure of a highly pressurized gas container, known as a COPV, inside the booster. This initial failure likely triggered a chain reaction that tore apart the main oxygen tank.
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Booster 18 Failure: A Big Problem for SpaceX
The loss of Booster 18 is a big problem for the immediate schedule of SpaceX. This booster was crucial; it was supposed to fly on Flight 12 of Starship and was required to test new launch infrastructure.
With this upgraded V3 booster likely beyond repair, experts speculate that the next attempt to launch Starship will be delayed. SpaceX will have to build and prepare its replacement, presumably Booster 19.
However, SpaceX maintains that this quick process of testing including learning from failures is absolutely necessary. The goal of SpaceX is to develop a completely reusable super-heavy-lift system, crucial for fundamental missions to come such as sending astronauts back to the Moon (Artemis program) for NASA and further developing the Starlink satellite network.
