Technology

SpaceX Starship V3 completes test flight amid booster failure

11:13

By: Dakir Madiha

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SpaceX carried out the first test flight of its upgraded Starship V3 system from its Starbase site in Texas, marking a major milestone for the company’s next-generation launch program. The mission aimed to validate the performance of the most powerful rocket design the company has developed so far.

The Super Heavy booster suffered a critical malfunction during ascent when one of its 33 Raptor engines shut down roughly two minutes into flight. After stage separation, only a limited number of engines reignited for the return burn, which ended prematurely. A final landing burn failed to stabilize the booster, which then crashed into the Gulf of Mexico at high speed. The company had not planned to recover the booster on this flight and treated the sequence as a controlled disposal over open water.

The upper stage, known as Ship 39, performed more successfully. It reached space and deployed 22 Starlink simulation payloads designed to mimic operational satellites and test deployment systems. The spacecraft later carried out reentry procedures, including a flip maneuver, before completing a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean roughly an hour after launch. A planned engine relight test in space was cancelled after the ascent anomaly.

The flight took place amid heightened strategic importance for SpaceX. The company is preparing for a potential public listing and aims to scale deployment of its next-generation Starlink constellation. The test was also observed by senior figures involved in future lunar missions, underlining the role Starship is expected to play in upcoming deep space exploration programs.