SpaceX Starship Hits Some Targets, Misses Others on Latest Test Flight
SpaceX's Starship V3 successfully launched on Friday after a lengthy hiatus, marking a step forward for the redesigned rocket. The test flight experienced some issues, including engine failures, but still achieved key objectives such as deploying payloads. The mission concluded with the vehicle returning to Earth, albeit with a fiery end after toppling over in the water.
- ▪Starship V3 lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas with 33 Raptor 3 engines.
- ▪One engine cut out during the flight, but the booster completed its mission before descending.
- ▪The second stage successfully deployed 20 Starlink satellite simulators and two test spacecraft.
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SpaceX’s Starship rocket returned to space on Friday after more than seven months off (and more than three years after the star-crossed debut of its first version) as a largely redesigned launch vehicle that performed a moderately successful test flight.Starship V3 lifted off at 5:30 p.m. Central time from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas, on 18 million pounds of thrust from 33 Raptor 3 methane-fueled engines in its first stage—two more engines than in V1 and V2 Starship boosters.One of those 33 engines cut out at about a minute and 40 seconds into the flight.
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