Starship Booster Damaged in Friday Test, Launch Delayed
▼ Summary
– SpaceX’s Starship first stage suffered major damage during pre-launch testing in South Texas on Friday morning.
– The incident occurred during structural and propellant system tests at the Massey’s Test Site, involving an explosive or implosive event.
– Booster 18, the first Starship Version 3 with design upgrades, appears to have been lost in this failure.
– The vehicle was undergoing cryogenic propellant loading tests and had not yet reached engine ignition phase.
– SpaceX had not commented on the incident hours after it occurred, highlighting its significance for the company’s development timeline.
In the early hours of Friday morning at SpaceX’s South Texas facility, a major incident occurred during pre-launch testing of the Starship rocket’s first stage booster. The company had just moved the enormous vehicle from its factory the previous day, signaling the start of a new test series focused on evaluating redesigned propellant systems and structural integrity.
Testing began Thursday night at the Massey’s Test Site, located a short distance from the primary Starbase Texas production facility. However, around 4:04 am Central Time, an independent livestream captured what appeared to be an explosive or implosive event affecting the lower portion of the booster. Video footage clearly showed a sudden, violent occurrence that resulted in visible harm to the rocket.
Photographs taken after the incident reveal substantial damage concentrated in the booster’s lower section, which houses the large liquid oxygen tank. The area showed signs of crumpling or collapse, though the precise cause remains undetermined. Neither SpaceX nor its founder Elon Musk provided immediate comments regarding the failure in the hours following the event.
The potential loss of Booster 18 represents a notable setback for the aerospace company. While SpaceX maintains substantial production capacity through its extensive Texas manufacturing facility, this particular vehicle carried significant importance. It marked the inaugural Starship Version 3 prototype, incorporating numerous design improvements and upgrades over earlier models intended to enhance both reliability and performance capabilities.
This booster was scheduled to undergo cryogenic propellant loading and pressurization tests at the Massey site, with plans to eventually conduct a static fire test of its 33 upgraded Raptor engines. The incident occurred before the testing sequence reached the engine ignition phase, leaving unanswered questions about the vehicle’s readiness and the program’s near-term schedule.
(Source: Ars Technica)
