1 week ago
The motorboat conveyance mislaid immoderate engines, but it was still capable to execute astir of its goals.
SpaceX
SpaceX has flown Starship V3 for nan first clip successful a trial flight that met astir of its goals. The institution had to measurement down from a motorboat effort connected nan evening of May 21, Thursday, owed to a method issue. Specifically, a hydraulic pin holding nan spacecraft's building limb successful spot would not retract. But connected Friday night, thing prevented SpaceX from launching nan upgraded type of its spacecraft designed for journeys to nan satellite and Mars.
Liftoff of Starship! pic.twitter.com/LQLdjK5V6K
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 22, 2026
The motorboat conveyance ignited each 33 of its Super Heavy booster's caller Raptor 3 engines and past lifted disconnected astatine 6:30PM Eastern clip from Starbase, Texas. During ascent, 1 of nan booster's engines unopen down, but Starship continued its formation until it was clip for nan stages to separate. The booster was capable to execute a directional flip maneuver, which nan institution wanted to trial for early missions. However, it was incapable to ray each nan engines needed to execute a successful boostback burn, nan different maneuver basal for nan rocket to beryllium capable to recreation backmost towards its landing site.
It was only capable to do a partial boostback pain earlier falling backmost to Earth and crashing down into the Gulf of Mexico (renamed nan Gulf of America successful 2025 by President Donald Trump). It wasn't a loss, however: SpaceX had been catching Super Heavy boosters with its motorboat tower's mechanical arms successful erstwhile flights, but it ne'er intended to retrieve this one.
Meanwhile, nan upper-stage Ship was still capable to execute its planned trajectory contempt losing one of six Raptor 3 engines. Around 30 minutes aft liftoff, it deployed the 20 Starlink simulators and 2 modified Starlink satellites it was carrying. The modified satellites, which were connected nan aforesaid suborbital trajectory arsenic nan precocious stage, took images of Ship successful space.
Views of Starship successful abstraction from a @Starlink outer pic.twitter.com/5hfw1n8v1o
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 22, 2026
When Ship re-entered nan Earth's atmosphere, it gathered information connected nan capacity of its power shield during nan burn. Finally, it pulled disconnected maneuvers SpaceX wanted it to do to accent trial its rear flap and to mimic nan trajectory of early missions returning to their motorboat site. After a landing flip and a landing pain connected 2 Raptor engines, it splashed down and exploded successful nan Indian Ocean.
Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to nan full SpaceX squad connected nan twelfth formation trial of Starship! pic.twitter.com/XXBAtryPpL
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 22, 2026
Despite nan motor failures, SpaceX main Elon Musk congratulated his squad "on an epic first Starship V3 motorboat and landing," telling them they "scored a extremity for humanity." SpaceX managed to propulsion a mostly successful trial flight, conscionable successful clip for its IPO. The institution conscionable publically filed its IPO paperwork pinch nan Securities and Exchange Commission, and Reuters said its shares are expected to commencement trading connected June 12.
