SpaceX Starship V3 test flight succeeds as company prepares for public listing
The Super Heavy booster crashed into the Gulf of Mexico after a partial boostback burn, while the upper-stage Ship deployed Starlink simulators and splashed down in the Indian Ocean. The launch follows the company’s filing of initial public offering paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SpaceX conducted the first test flight of its Starship V3 launch vehicle from Starbase, Texas, on Friday evening, achieving the majority of its mission objectives despite technical setbacks. The uncrewed launch occurred shortly after the company publicly filed its initial public offering (IPO) paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission, with Reuters reporting that shares are expected to begin trading on June 12.
Liftoff took place at 6:30 PM Eastern time, following the scrubbing of an initial attempt on Thursday due to a hydraulic pin failure that prevented the spacecraft’s tower arm from retracting. The Super Heavy booster ignited all 33 of its new Raptor 3 engines but lost one engine during ascent. The booster performed a directional flip maneuver intended for future missions but was unable to light all engines required for a full boostback burn. It executed only a partial burn before falling back to Earth and crashing into the Gulf of Mexico, which the source text notes was renamed the Gulf of America in 2025 by President Donald Trump.
Recovery of the booster was not intended for this specific flight, as SpaceX has previously utilised mechanical arms on the launch tower to catch Super Heavy boosters in earlier tests. The upper-stage Ship, however, maintained its planned trajectory despite losing one of its six Raptor 3 engines. Approximately 30 minutes after liftoff, the Ship deployed 20 Starlink simulators and two modified Starlink satellites. The modified satellites, travelling on the same suborbital trajectory, captured images of the Ship in space.
During re-entry, the Ship gathered data on the performance of its heat shield and executed maneuvers to stress test its rear flap while mimicking the trajectory of future missions returning to their launch site. The vehicle performed a landing flip and a landing burn on two Raptor engines before splashing down and exploding in the Indian Ocean. This event marked the twelfth flight test of the Starship programme, which is designed for journeys to the Moon and Mars.
SpaceX chief Elon Musk described the flight as an "epic first Starship V3 launch and landing," stating that the team had "scored a goal for humanity." The successful completion of the test flight comes as the company prepares to transition into a publicly traded entity, with the IPO filing occurring just prior to the launch window.
