SpaceX’s upgraded Starship vehicle experienced an explosion during testing

SpaceX rolled out an upgraded version of its Starship rocket booster in South Texas on Thursday to begin testing, and just a few hours later, something exploded inside it.

Livestreamers watching SpaceX’s Starbase complex watched the explosion closely in the pre-dawn hours Friday, around 4:00 a.m. local time. Other content creators in the area have since taken photos offering a closer look at the damage.

Unlike the fireball-like explosions SpaceX has dealt with while developing its rockets in the past, this explosion appears to have blown off an entire side of the bottom of the booster, leaving the rest standing. It also happened very early in the process. Rocket engines have not yet been installed on the missile, according to Ars Technica.

SpaceX said in a post on X that it was conducting a “gas system pressure test” when the explosion occurred. The company says no one was hurt, as the area was cleared for testing.

“Teams need time to investigate before we can be confident in the cause,” SpaceX wrote on Friday.

The booster was the first major piece of what SpaceX refers to as Starship’s third version, or “V3.” Starship V3 is supposed to be larger, stronger, more reliable and capable of docking other spaceships in Earth orbit, an important part of SpaceX’s plan to reach the Moon and Mars. (The company released the final design of the V2 in October.)

It’s not immediately clear what kind of impact the explosion could have on SpaceX’s next steps. But any significant delay in its testing program could jeopardize SpaceX’s overall plans.

The company was aiming for a very busy 2026 for Starship. This includes demonstrating the ability to transfer fuel to the spacecraft from a “tanker” version of the rocket while in orbit. SpaceX needs to prove this capability to NASA before it can move forward with crewed missions to the moon, which it is reportedly targeting in 2028.

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy has already criticized SpaceX for not moving quickly enough in its progress on the moon mission, and said he may want to give Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin a shot at the contract instead.

Blue Origin is accelerating development of its massive rocket. Just last week, the company launched its New Glenn rocket for the second time and delivered its first commercial payload to NASA. The company also acquired its first New Glenn rocket booster. On Thursday, the company revealed a larger design for New Glenn that will compete directly with Starship.

This story has been updated with new information from SpaceX.