SpaceX Launches Starship V3 on Its Maiden Flight, But Booster Fails to Land Successfully

SpaceX has completed its first launch of the advanced third iteration of the Starship rocket, though the test didn’t go perfectly for Elon Musk’s aerospace company.

The towering 407-foot rocket, the largest ever built, lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas at 5:30 p.m. local time. Shortly after, the upper-stage vehicle detached from the Super Heavy booster, continuing its ascent into space.

The booster diverged from the Starship with the intention of returning to Earth to perform a simulated landing in the Gulf of Mexico. However, its engines failed to reignite for the critical burn needed to guide it back to the launch area. Consequently, the booster spiraled into the water, likely resulting in an explosion.

Meanwhile, Starship lost one of its six Raptor engines during its climb. Nonetheless, it successfully deployed all 20 Starlink satellite simulators, alongside two modified Starlink satellites intended to capture footage of Starship’s surface. Approximately one hour after liftoff, Starship simulated a landing in the Indian Ocean, subsequently tipping over and exploding as expected.

Despite the mission not going exactly as planned, it represented a key test launch for SpaceX. This was the first thorough assessment of the enhanced Starship V3 hardware, which has undergone several months of development. The company was also testing a new launchpad at Starbase that has been under construction for years.

This test launch holds particular significance for SpaceX at a crucial juncture in its history. The company’s IPO filing was made public this week, with plans to list on the Nasdaq in mid-June. The IPO is anticipated to raise about $75 billion, which SpaceX aims to invest in further developments, ambitious AI initiatives, and to alleviate some debt tied to xAI and Musk’s social media platform, X. (This could be the last Starship test launch that occurs without market reactions.)

SpaceX has invested years and billions into developing Starship, which it considers vital for its goal of making life multi-planetary. The company intends to use Starship for NASA missions to the Moon and eventually Mars. However, its immediate focus remains on launching more advanced Starlink satellites into Earth’s orbit, as Starlink is the only profitable segment of SpaceX’s operations.

This was the first flight of Starship since October 2025. SpaceX had hoped to launch Starship V3 earlier, but one of the upgraded boosters experienced an explosion during testing last November. The first launch attempt occurred on Thursday but was postponed due to a hydraulic pin on the launch tower arm that malfunctioned, according to Musk.

The latest version of Starship is equipped with SpaceX’s third-generation Raptor engines, providing enhanced thrust and an optimized design. The improved booster aims for faster takeoffs and simpler recovery by the launch tower.

This story has been updated to include details about Starship’s simulated landing.