SpaceX Starship V3's First Test Flight Was Largely Successful
Engadget • • general
Key Points:
- SpaceX successfully conducted the first test flight of Starship V3, launching from Starbase, Texas, despite a previous launch delay caused by a hydraulic pin issue.
- The Super Heavy booster ignited all 33 Raptor 3 engines, but one engine shut down during ascent; it performed a directional flip but failed to complete a full boostback burn, resulting in a crash into the Gulf of Mexico.
- The upper-stage Starship continued its mission, deploying 20 Starlink simulators and two modified Starlink satellites, which captured images of the spacecraft in space.
- Starship re-entered Earth's atmosphere, collected heat shield performance data, executed stress tests on its rear flap, and mimicked future mission trajectories before splashing down and exploding in the Indian Ocean.
- SpaceX did not intend to recover the Super Heavy booster on this flight, focusing instead on testing new flight maneuvers and the upgraded spacecraft's capabilities for lunar and Mars missions.