SpaceX Launches Upgraded Starship V3 on Test Flight

SpaceX launched its third-generation Starship rocket on an uncrewed test flight Friday from a new pad at Starbase near the Mexican border. m. local time following a one-day delay caused by a launch-tower malfunction. The spacecraft carried 20 mock Starlink satellites that were released during the flight.

It reached the Indian Ocean roughly an hour after liftoff, where it toppled and ignited as planned.

The V3 model is several feet taller than prior versions and features a larger fuel-transfer line feeding its 33 main engines. Fewer but stronger grid fins were installed on the booster, and the spacecraft carried additional cameras and navigation systems.

Not all engines fired during the booster’s attempted return, and the spacecraft operated with fewer engines than designed. Despite these issues, the vehicle maintained its eastward trajectory at an altitude of 120 miles. A pair of modified, camera-equipped Starlinks ejected from the spacecraft provided the first live views of a Starship in flight.

Jared Isaacman attended the launch and posted that the flight marked one step closer to the moon. NASA has contracted SpaceX to develop a lunar lander for the Artemis program. The agency plans a docking test next year in which astronauts will practice linking an Orion capsule with Starship or Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander. A crewed lunar landing could occur as early as 2028.

SpaceX is already accepting reservations for future private lunar and Mars flights on Starship. California businessman Dennis Tito and his wife booked a lunar flyby more than three years ago. Chinese-born investor Chun Wang announced this week that he will join Starship’s first interplanetary mission to Mars. Wang previously flew on a SpaceX polar orbit mission last year.

“Congratulations @SpaceX team on an epic first Starship V3 launch & landing! You scored a goal for humanity.”