Livestreamers who watch SpaceX's Starbase complex closely caught the explosion in the pre-dawn hours Friday, around 4:00 a.m. local time. Other creators in the area have since captured photos that offer a closer look at the damage. Unlike the more fireball-type explosions SpaceX has dealt with while developing its rockets in the past, this one appears to have blown out an entire side of the lower section of the booster ' and left the rest of it standing. It also happened very early in the process. The booster didn't even have rocket engines installed yet, according to Ars Technica. The booster was the first major piece of what SpaceX is referring to as Starship version three, or 'V3.' Starship V3 is supposed to be larger, more powerful, more reliable, and capable of docking other Starships in orbit around the Earth ' a crucial piece of SpaceX's plan for getting to the moon and Mars. (The company flew the final V2 design in October.) The company has been aiming at a very busy 2026...
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