SpaceX launched the most powerful version of its Starship mega-rocket on Friday, May 24, sending the 408-foot V3 vehicle from a new pad at Starbase, Texas, halfway around the world to a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The debut came just two days after SpaceX published its landmark IPO filing targeting a NASDAQ listing under the ticker SPCX.
The flight was not flawless: one of the Super Heavy booster's 33 Raptor engines shut down early during ascent, and several engines failed to relight on the planned return. Even so, Starship deployed 22 mock Starlink satellites from an upgraded dispenser and endured re-entry with little of the thermal damage seen on earlier flights. Elon Musk called it "an epic launch," telling his team they had "scored a goal for humanity."
The V3 is the version NASA may use to land astronauts on the Moon, making a successful debut a significant milestone for the agency's Artemis plans and for SpaceX ahead of its public offering.