Starship V3 Surges Forward: A Mostly Successful First Test Flight

SpaceX's Starship V3 completed its first test flight from Starbase, Texas, achieving most objectives despite engine hiccups. All 33 Raptor 3 engines fired at liftoff, one shut down mid-flight, and the booster executed only a partial boostback before crashing into the Gulf of Mexico. The upper stage stayed on trajectory, deployed 20 Starlink simulators and two modified satellites to image the vehicle in space, tested heat-shield and rear-flap maneuvers, then landed on two Raptors before splashing down and exploding in the Indian Ocean. Elon Musk called it epic and SpaceX filed IPO paperwork with trading expected June 12.