SpaceX has faced another setback after the Super Heavy Booster of Starship Version 3 (V3) damaged during recent tests at Starbase, Texas. In a post on X Friday, SpaceX announced that Booster 18 suffered an anomaly during gas system pressure testing prior to 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,” it further said in a X post.
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…
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 21, 2025
The company announced that the Super Heavy V3 was beginning prelaunch testing on Thursday to examine structural durability of propellant systems.
The gas system pressure testing is conducted to ensure the Booster’s plumbing systems are safe and reliable before loading cryogenic propellant. The gases used during these tests are inert because they’re safe and non-explosive. A picture shared on X by Starship Gazer shows significant damage to the stainless steel Booster on the liquid oxygen tank section.
A full view of super heavy booster 18’s catastrophic damage during testing tonight. Very significant damage to the entire LOX tank section.
11/21/25 pic.twitter.com/Kw8XeZ2qXW
— Starship Gazer (@StarshipGazer) November 21, 2025
There’s also a footage of the Booster undergoing an explosion which ripped open the first stage which will now be replaced by another first stage. In an update, SpaceX said Saturday, “The Starbase team plans to have the next Super Heavy booster stacked in December, which puts it on pace with the test schedule planned for the first Starship V3 vehicle and associated ground systems. Starship’s twelfth flight test remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026.”
Booster 18 seems to have just exploded during testing at the Massey outpost. pic.twitter.com/fmVdYPmWvA
— LabPadre Space (@LabPadre) November 21, 2025
Starship Version 3
Starship is moving on from its Version 2 to Version 3, which will be 1.5 metres (5 feet) taller that its current height of 123 metres (403 feet). According to Space.com, V3 will have an integrated ‘hot stage’ ring connecting Starship’s two stages as opposed to the separate component that fell from both stage during hot-staging on V2.
The Booster has reportedly undergone refinement thanks to the upgraded Raptor 3 engines and will fly with three grid fins instead of four for better stability during descent. Version 2 retired after two successful test flights (10 and 11), following a series of semi-successful missions. Now with V3 under development, it will be the first to launch uncrewed missions to Mars and possibly land NASA astronauts on the Moon during Artemis 3.
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The recent mishap with the rocket, however, is likely to cause delays longer than expected. Artemis 3, which was supposed to launch in mid-2027 has reportedly been pushed to 2028 as SpaceX has several huge milestones to achieve before Starship becomes human-rated. One of these milestones is in-orbit refuelling of Starship that is likely to take place in 2026.
Earlier in May, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that Starship V3 will launch to Mars next year, and this mission might also include Tesla’s Optimus robot. “The first flights there we’ll send with the Optimus robot so it can go out there and explore and prepare the way for humans,” Musk said during a company presentation. However, this uncrewed launch has a pre-requisite of completing the orbital refuelling.
But Musk’s obsession with Mars may cost him the Moon as acting NASA chief Sean Duffy recently announced opening lunar lander contracts to other companies because SpaceX keeps pushing its timeline. “I love SpaceX; it’s an amazing company. The problem is, they’re behind. They’ve pushed their timelines out, and we’re in a race against China,” Duffy recently told CNBC.
ALSO READ: Artemis 3 Delayed To 2028? Report Says SpaceX’s Starship May Hurt NASA Again
