Starship V3 Prepares for High-Stakes Test as SpaceX Aims for Moon Missions

SpaceX is gearing up for a high-stakes suborbital test of Starship V3 from Starbase Texas, featuring the deployment of 22 mock Starlink satellites and a midflight engine relight to demonstrate future lunar capabilities, in a roughly 65-minute flight that ends with the upper stage splashing down in the Indian Ocean; the booster will land offshore in the Gulf of Mexico rather than returning to the launch site. The test advances Starship's upgrade path amid NASA's Artemis program and SpaceX's push toward full reusability, in-space propellant transfer, and a Moon- and Mars-capable vehicle, all alongside an upcoming IPO.