By Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A towering first-stage booster for an upgraded version of SpaceX’s Starship rocket suffered a predawn testing failure in Texas on Friday, potentially complicating the company’s push to prove the rocket’s moon-landing abilities for NASA, according to observers who captured it on video.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX had rolled the upgraded stainless steel Super Heavy booster out to a testing pad on Thursday at the company’s Starbase rocket facilities, saying it intended to test its redesigned propellant systems and structural strength.

During a test on the pad around 4 a.m. CT Friday, a zoomed-in live video feed from SpaceX-watching group LabPadre showed the booster suddenly buckle and release a cloud of gas from its sides, indicating an explosion had blown ope

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