All articles tagged with #starshipv3
SpaceX is recovering the Starship Version 3 spacecraft that completed a 65-minute suborbital flight on July 24, marking its first opportunity to analyze a flown Starship; the ship landed in the Indian Ocean with a soft splashdown and a precision landing that could have been caught by the tower arms.
SpaceX’s SPCX stock dropped to new closing lows after Thursday’s Starship Version 3 test flight was canceled at liftoff due to engine startup issues; the company will return both stages to the hangar to drain fuel and inspect what went wrong, while investors and analysts remain cautious about costs and timelines, with JPMorgan highlighting second-stage refurbishment costs as a key consideration.
SpaceX is targeting July 16 for Starship Flight 13, the next Starship V3 test after engine runs on Ship and Super Heavy. Flight 13 will largely reprise Flight 12’s mission but with updated startup sequences and fixes for orientation/ignition issues, including a planned in‑space relight of a Raptor and a soft booster splashdown. The mission will carry 20 Starlink V3 satellites (six with cameras for heatshield inspection) that will burn up on reentry; FAA has closed its Flight 12 investigation and cleared corrective actions for Flight 13. If successful, SpaceX may attempt a recovery on Flight 14 as NASA Artemis goals loom in the longer term.
SpaceX is targeting May 21, 6:30 p.m. EDT for Flight 12 of Starship—the first mission for the Version 3 upgrade—from Starbase, Texas. The 1.5-hour launch window will feature a suborbital test with Ship 39 on Booster 19, splashdowns at sea, and the deployment of 20 dummy Starlink satellites to validate upgraded systems as NASA's Artemis program looms; the flight follows a wet dress rehearsal and recent schedule changes plus Starbase road closures.
SpaceX is preparing Flight 12 of its Starship by stacking the Version 3 upper stage (Ship 39) atop Booster 19 at Starbase, Texas, with a wet dress rehearsal planned ahead of a May 21 liftoff in a 90-minute window that starts at 6:30 p.m. EDT. Flight 12 will be the first Starship flight of 2026 and the debut of the Starship Version 3, featuring upgrades aimed at NASA's Artemis program and future Starlink/data-center missions. The mission will loft the upper stage on a suborbital path, deploy 20 dummy Starlink satellites and two modified probes, and see the Super Heavy booster splash down in the Gulf of Mexico while Starship splash-lands in the Indian Ocean off Western Australia; SpaceX plans eventual recovery of both stages at Starbase with its Mechazilla arms.
SpaceX has set May 19 as the first flight of Starship V3, a heavily redesigned version of SpaceX’s megayacht-like rocket with a three-fin booster, integrated hot-stage, and upgraded Raptor V3 engines. The update includes a redesigned fuel transfer system, aim for rapid full-vehicle reuse, and propulsion tweaks to support orbital refueling and deep-space missions. The mission will launch from Starbase’s new Pad 2, carry 22 simulated Starlink V2 satellites, and will not attempt a booster catch, focusing on systems validation as the Starship program moves toward operational lunar and Mars missions.
SpaceX moved Starship V3 closer to its first full-stack flight by rolling Ship 39 to the launch pad while Booster 19 completed a roughly 14-second static fire on the new orbital launch mount, signaling readiness for Flight 12 and the first integrated Starship V3 with Raptor 3 engines and larger tanks, pending final stacking and regulatory clearance.
SpaceX successfully completed the final test flight of the current Starship V2, hitting key goals and moving the program into its next phase with the development of the upgraded V3 prototype, which is designed for in-orbit docking, propellant transfer, and future lunar and Martian missions.