SpaceX Super Heavy Booster 18 anomaly in photos and videos

The SpaceX Super Heavy booster 18 experienced an anomaly during its first tank test, and here are some photos and videos of the event that wrecked this mega rocket.

On November 20, 2025, SpaceX rolled out the Super Heavy booster 18 (v3) to Massey’s test site near Starbase launch facility. The following day, the team conducted gas system pressure testing, which failed.

SpaceX Super Heavy Booster 18 (v3) after gas pressure test anomaly (Source – @Jordanguidry6/X)

Images and videos shared by the Space dedicated X handles show different angles of the aftermath and the extent of the damage. The photos show that the main LOX tank is blown away by the immediate gas burst.

It can be seen that the steel has bent outwards and opened the entire tank chamber, while its debris fell on the ground at the test site.

SpaceX Super Heavy Booster 18 (v3) after gas pressure test anomaly (Source – @Jordanguidry6/X)

The test in this matter is an important milestone to detect propellant leak, prevent fire, explosions, or carbon monoxide poisoning. This test was being done as a prerequisite before the more stressful structural proof testing or cryo proof, where the booster would be filled with liquid oxygen and liquid methane to simulate flight loads and temperature.

Fortunately, the scale of this anomaly was limited due to the lack of propellant and engine installation. The booster was empty and only pressurized gas was inside, which stopped the rocket from becoming a fireball, a case that was seen with Flight 10’s upper stage during a static fire test.

Also, the teams have followed the standard safety protocols, ensuring their safety and well-being. The rocket maker is now investigating to know more about the root cause of the issue. In the next step, the company will recover the booster from the test site and send it back to the factory.

To be mentioned, this was the first V3 booster with new upgrades in the vehicle structure and performance. Such failures are part of the testing phase and considered normal to verify the vehicle features and fix flaws before actual launch.

SpaceX has plenty of supplies for new ships and Super Heavy at the Starship factory, and a new one may come out back for testing very soon.