The Upgraded Vehicle Didn’t Even Make It to Sunrise

The debut of SpaceX’s Starship Version 3 booster didn’t exactly go as planned, with its test campaign starting and ending before the sun even rose. Booster 18 suffered a major structural failure partway into what was supposed to be a long list of cryogenic checks and pressure trials at Massey’s.

The booster entered its first round of cryogenic and pressurization tests after dark on November 20 at the company’s Massey’s Test Site, located a short distance from Starbase. Instead, at approximately 4:04 am, livestreams watched as the lower liquid oxygen tank abruptly collapsed inward, producing a fast, clean crumple something like an aluminum can. SpaceX and Elon Musk have offered no public explanation so far.

Booster 18’s loss carries weight. V3 hardware is supposedly SpaceX’s answer to recurring design issues seen in earlier boosters, and this unit was slated for a full round of cryogenic conditioning before moving into Raptor engine installation and static fire testing. Clearly, it didn’t get that far, leaving the company without its only complete V3 booster on the stand.

On the bright side, the incident was less dramatic than June’s upper-stage explosion at the same site… mostly because no engines were installed. Infrastructure damage also appears limited.

The incident comes as SpaceX faces pressure to prove Starship is capable of serving regular flights, booster recoveries, and a long list of NASA obligations over the next couple of years. These include on-orbit refueling, slated for late 2026, as well as assisting the Artemis III lunar landing in mid-2027. At the current rate, however, both of these timelines seem improbable.

FMI: www.spacex.com