"SpaceX's new Starship first-stage booster, Booster 18, suffered major damage early Friday during its first round of testing in Starbase, Texas, just one day after rolling out of the factory. Based on videos of the incident, the lower section of the rocket booster appeared to crumple during a pressurization test. Photos of the incident's aftermath suggest that Booster 18 will likely be retired."
"SpaceX began structural and propellant-system verification tests on Booster 18 Thursday night at the Massey's Test Site, only a few miles from Starbase's production facilities, as noted in an Ars Technica report. At 4:04 a.m. CT on Friday, a livestream from LabPadre Space captured the booster's lower half experiencing a sudden destructive event around its liquid oxygen tank section. Post-incident images, shared on X by @StarshipGazer, showed notable deformation in the booster's lower structure."
"Neither SpaceX nor Elon Musk had commented as of Friday morning, but the vehicle's condition suggests it is likely a complete loss. This is quite unfortunate, as Booster 18 is already part of the Starship V3 program, which includes design fixes and upgrades intended to improve reliability. While SpaceX maintains a rather rapid Starship production line in Starbase, Booster 18 was generally expected to validate the improvements implemented in the V3 program."
Booster 18 experienced a sudden destructive event during a pressurization test at Starbase, with the lower LOX tank section crumpling and showing notable deformation. The failure occurred hours after the booster rolled out, during structural and propellant-system verification tests at Massey's Test Site, and was captured on a LabPadre livestream. No official comment was available immediately, and the vehicle appears likely to be a total loss. Booster 18 was slated to validate design fixes and upgrades in the Starship V3 program. The loss complicates plans for rapid reuse demonstrations, tower catches, Starlink missions, and NASA's Artemis on-orbit refueling test timeline.
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