SpaceX successfully launched the first test flight of its upgraded Starship V3 rocket and Super Heavy booster, marking a significant milestone for the aerospace company on Friday. The event unfolded at SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility in South Texas at 5:30 PM CDT. The 408-foot-tall (124-meter) rocket, the largest ever built, lifted off with the power of 33 methane-fueled main engines, quickly clearing the launch tower and setting an eastward trajectory over the Gulf of Mexico.
Approximately one hour later, Starship made a targeted splashdown in the Indian Ocean, successfully concluding its inaugural flight. This trial marked an improvement over previous versions; both Starship V1 and V2 had experienced failures during their initial launches in 2023 and 2025, respectively.
SpaceX officials expressed satisfaction with the results of the test flight. Elon Musk, the company’s founder and CEO, took to social media platform X to congratulate his team: “Congratulations SpaceX team on an epic first Starship V3 launch & landing! You scored a goal for humanity.” Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president, echoed the sentiment, stating, “This was an incredible first flight of a brand new vehicle. Our collective future flying amongst the stars has become so much closer.”
The launch drew significant attention from NASA, which is counting on SpaceX to develop Starship as a human-rated lunar lander. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman was present in Texas to witness the event firsthand. He praised the team’s efforts, calling it a “hell of a V3 Starship launch.”
The path to this successful test flight was marked by a lengthy interval—over seven months—since the last Starship flight in October. This gap was the longest between launches for the program since its first full-scale mission in April 2023. During this time, SpaceX focused on constructing and activating a second launch pad at Starbase, while also navigating various challenges encountered in ground testing for Starship V3.
As the aerospace community looks on, the achievements of the Starship V3 launch are seen as pivotal for the future of space exploration and the ambition of sending humans back to the moon and beyond.
