SpaceX rolled out an upgraded version of its megarocket for pre-launch testing, but images of the next-generation booster show signs of damage ahead of Starship’s first orbital flight early next year.

On Thursday, SpaceX began the initial round of pre-launch testing of Booster 18, the first Super Heavy for Starship’s version 3 that’s set to debut in 2026. Footage obtained of the company’s Massey test site in Texas showed the booster exploding at its outpost, and an image posted later on X also revealed severe damage to the rocket’s lower half where the liquid oxygen propellant is stored.

“The first operations will test the booster’s redesigned propellant systems and its structural strength,” SpaceX wrote on X. The company, however, didn’t comment on the damage sustained by the rock

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