SpaceX just launched Starship V3 — its most powerful megarocket yet — into space for the 1st time in spectacular Flight 12 test (video)

SpaceX successfully launched the first flight of its Starship Version 3 (V3) megarocket from its Starbase facility in South Texas, marking a significant milestone in the development of the world’s most powerful rocket. The 408-foot-tall vehicle lifted off on its 12th suborbital test flight, the first since October 2025, aiming to demonstrate the capabilities of the redesigned Starship intended for future operational missions. Despite some technical challenges during the flight, the rocket reached space and completed a controlled landing, underscoring progress toward SpaceX’s ambitious goals for space travel. During liftoff, one of the 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster shut down prematurely, and the booster failed to execute a critical boostback maneuver designed to control its return to Earth. Additionally, the upper stage, known as Ship 39, lost one of its six main engines during ascent but continued on a trajectory within expected parameters using the remaining five engines. SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot described the orbital insertion as not nominal but within analyzed bounds, with teams actively addressing the engine anomaly. The flight also featured a new hot staging technique, where the upper stage ignites its engines before separating from the booster, a departure from the previous version’s design. Starship V3 incorporates a complete design overhaul, including structural changes such as a fixed interstage ring on top of the booster to provide clearance for the upper stage engines during ignition. This contrasts with the V2 model, which used a detachable interstage ring. The test flight demonstrated these design innovations, although the booster’s boostback burn did not proceed as planned, indicating further refinements are needed. CEO Elon Musk praised the team’s efforts, calling the launch and landing “an epic” achievement and a “goal for humanity.” This test flight represents a crucial step in SpaceX’s pursuit of fully reusable, heavy-lift launch vehicles capable of supporting missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The data gathered will inform ongoing development and help address technical issues as the company moves closer to operational Starship flights, which could revolutionize space access and exploration.