SpaceX’s V3 Starship soars, but Super Heavy return fails

SpaceX launched a revamped “Version 3” Super Heavy-Starship on Friday from a new Starbase pad to test more powerful engines and upgraded flight control systems—only for multiple Super Heavy booster engines to shut down during a return attempt. The Starship upp

Friday night at SpaceX’s Starbase felt like the future taking off in real time—blue-white flame, a new, beefed-up pad, and a rocket built for repetition. About 6:30 p.m. EDT, a “Version 3” Super Heavy-Starship blasted upward on its first test flight of the upgraded vehicle.

In the control-room spotlight was NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. who later congratulated the company on what was billed as a milestone toward operational Starship flights and eventually lunar missions. Isaacman also praised the launch and landing in a social media post, writing, “a hell of a V3 Starship launch. One step closer to the Moon…one step closer to Mars.” Elon Musk. for his part. posted on X: “congratulations on an epic first Starship V3 launch & landing!. You scored a goal for humanity.”.

But the most dramatic stress of the flight came after the booster was supposed to come home.

The Super Heavy first stage—407 feet tall with 33 methane-burning Raptor engines—generated up to 18 million pounds of thrust. described as twice the liftoff power of NASA’s SLS moon rocket. SpaceX’s test was designed to validate upgrades meant to streamline operations and improve safety and reliability. and it began on a new launch pad at Starbase on the Texas Gulf Coast. It was also the first flight of a “Version 3” Super Heavy-Starship and the first use of SpaceX’s second Texas launch pad. built to better withstand the rigors of repeated launches by the world’s most powerful rocket.

The launch followed a last-minute scrub Thursday due to a minor glitch with a launch pad system, then two weather delays before that.

Once the vehicle reached the point where the Super Heavy was expected to fall away. the Starship upper stage took over. Two minutes and 24 seconds after liftoff. now out of the dense lower atmosphere. the Starship upper stage’s six third-generation Raptor engines ignited just before the Super Heavy first stage fell away. SpaceX had one of those engines optimized for vacuum operation. In this flight, one of the vacuum-optimized Raptors shut down early during the climb to space.

To compensate, the flight computer kept the other five engines longer than originally planned, bringing the vehicle onto an acceptable sub-orbital trajectory despite the single engine shortfall.

In space, the Starship appeared to perform well. It deployed 22 Starlink internet satellite simulators using an upgraded Pez-like dispenser. Two of those simulators carried cameras that sent back images of the Starship from the simulators’ viewpoint. Once the data stream is in hand. the cameras will be used on future flights to assess the health of the Starship’s heat shield tiles. A planned in-space Raptor restart was not attempted.

The booster’s return was where the test ran into a harsher boundary.

As the Super Heavy booster immediately flipped around to reverse course and head back toward Starbase for a controlled splashdown in the Gulf. multiple Raptor engines did not fire as expected. The booster failed to reach the planned splashdown point off the Texas Gulf Coast and instead dropped into the Gulf well short of its target. SpaceX did not immediately know what triggered the premature engine shutdowns during the climb out of the lower atmosphere. and additional engines failed to run properly during the attempt to fly the stage back.

After the booster separated, the flight still moved through its larger mission profile—re-entry, structural tests, and a splashdown.

Through peak heating, the Starship flew itself to an on-target splashdown in the Indian Ocean. On splashdown, the rocket tipped over and belly flopped into the sea as expected. It then broke apart and exploded as leftover propellants ignited.

Visually. the test landed with one of the key hopes engineers always carry into these flights: the ship appeared to take the fiery plunge without the thermal damage seen on previous flights. During descent. it carried out a maneuver intended to test the structural limits of its rear fins. followed by a dramatic banking maneuver like future Starships will carry out during normal landing operations.

Just before reaching the Indian Ocean, the Starship re-started two engines, flipped to a vertical orientation, and descended to an on-target splashdown. It tipped over as expected, broke apart, and exploded in a fireball.

Aside from the single Raptor failure during ascent, SpaceX said the Starship appeared to meet expectations by coming through the stress of launch and re-entry in apparently good shape.

This “Version 3” flight is more than a one-off display of power. It sits inside a broader push to perfect the first fully reusable rocket for operational use—launching large batches of next-generation Starlink satellites as well as government and commercial payloads. with eventual missions to the moon and even Mars. Engineers will still have to keep working through bugs. and SpaceX plans multiple test flights before leaning into more operational objectives.

The stakes run directly through NASA’s timeline too. NASA is paying SpaceX to develop a version of the Starship upper stage for use as a lander to carry Artemis astronauts to the moon’s surface starting in 2028. Shortly thereafter. NASA plans to begin launching multiple missions per year and to build a base near the moon’s south pole.

In the near term, NASA plans to launch its next Artemis mission in 2027. That mission will send four astronauts in an Orion capsule atop an SLS rocket to rendezvous in Earth orbit with SpaceX’s lander, alongside an alternative being built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.

NASA plans tests with both landers during the Artemis III mission, but Artemis III will proceed even if only one lander is available. Both companies must launch a successful unpiloted moon landing mission before NASA attempts to land astronauts in 2028.

Both SpaceX and its competitors face demanding test schedules. One major challenge is the ability to autonomously refuel a Starship lander in Earth orbit before it heads for deep space. The version 3 Starship now includes attachment points and fuel-transfer systems needed for those operations. SpaceX says the first in a series of orbital refueling tests is planned before the end of the year.

For now. the flight leaves a clear picture of where the upgraded vehicle is ready—and where it still demands more work. The Starship reached space, deployed 22 Starlink simulator payloads, and survived re-entry in apparently good shape. The Super Heavy booster. however. did not make it back to its planned return target after multiple engines failed to fire as expected during the attempt to bring it home.

SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Raptor 3 Version 3 Starbase Artemis NASA Starlink simulators heat shield tiles orbital refueling