SpaceX launched a revamped Tremendous Heavy-Starship rocket Friday on an “epic” flight to check extra highly effective engines, enhanced management methods and a number of different upgrades wanted to streamline operations and enhance security and reliability.
One of many Tremendous Heavy booster’s 33 methane-fueled Raptor 3 engines shut down early through the climb out of the decrease environment and extra engines did not run correctly throughout an try and fly the stage again to its deliberate splashdown level off the Texas Gulf Coast.
The Starship higher stage was outfitted with six third-generation Raptor engines and one in every of three optimized for working in vacuum shut down early through the climb to house. The flight laptop saved the opposite 5 engines working longer than initially deliberate to make up for the shortfall, placing the craft on an appropriate sub-orbital trajectory.
It was not instantly identified what might need triggered the untimely engine shutdowns, however as soon as in house, the Starship appeared to carry out in tremendous trend, deploying 22 Starlink web satellite tv for pc simulators from an upgraded Pez-like dispenser. Two of these had been outfitted with cameras that despatched again photos of the Starship from the perspective of the simulators.
These cameras might be used on future flights to evaluate the well being of the spacecraft’s warmth protect.
Views of Starship in house from a @Starlink satellite tv for pc pic.twitter.com/5hfw1n8v1o
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 22, 2026
Regardless of the engine problem, SpaceX founder Elon Musk thanked firm staff.
“Congratulations @SpaceX crew on an epic first Starship V3 launch & touchdown!” Musk posted on his social media platform X. “You scored a purpose for humanity.”
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who flew in to look at the launch, added his personal reward.
“Congrats @SpaceX crew and @elonmusk on a hell of a V3 Starship launch,” Isaacman posted. “One step nearer to the Moon…one step nearer to Mars”
The upgraded Tremendous Heavy-Starship blasted off on time at 6:30 p.m. EDT from a brand new, beefed up pad at SpaceX’s Starbase launch website on the Texas Gulf Coast. Launch adopted a last-minute scrub Thursday on account of a minor glitch with a launch pad system and two climate delays earlier than that.
Liftoff of Starship! pic.twitter.com/LQLdjK5V6K
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 22, 2026
Producing as much as 18 million kilos of thrust — twice the liftoff energy of NASA’s SLS moon rocket — the 33 methane-burning Raptor engines on the base of the Tremendous Heavy first stage pushed the 407-foot-tall rocket skyward atop an excellent torrent of blue-white fireplace.
It was the primary launch of a redesigned “model 3” Tremendous Heavy-Starship and the primary use of SpaceX’s second Texas launch pad, designed to higher stand up to the trials of repeated launches by the world’s strongest rocket.
Two minutes and 24 seconds after liftoff, now out of the dense decrease environment, the Starship higher stage’s six Raptors ignited simply earlier than the Tremendous Heavy first stage fell away.
The booster instantly flipped round as deliberate to reverse course and head again towards Starbase for a managed splashdown within the Gulf whereas the Starship higher stage continued the climb to house.
However a number of Raptor engines didn’t fireplace as anticipated and the booster was not in a position to attain the deliberate splashdown level, presumably dropping into the Gulf nicely in need of its goal.
The Starship higher stage reached an appropriate sub-orbital trajectory regardless of the one engine failure it skilled. The Starlink simulators had been efficiently deployed however a deliberate in-space Raptor restart was not tried.
Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to all the SpaceX crew on the twelfth flight check of Starship! pic.twitter.com/XXBAtryPpL
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 22, 2026
The check flight ended on a constructive be aware because the Starship endured the fiery warmth of re-entry in apparently good condition with little of the thermal injury seen on earlier flights.
Through the descent, the ship efficiently carried out a maneuver supposed to check the structural limits of its rear fins, adopted by a dramatic banking maneuver like future Starships will perform throughout regular touchdown operations.
Simply earlier than reaching the Indian Ocean, the Starship re-started two engines, flipped to a vertical orientation and descended to an on-target splashdown. It then tipped over as anticipated, broke aside and exploded in a spectacular fireball.
Aside from the one Raptor failure throughout ascent, the Starship appeared to fulfill SpaceX’s expectations, coming via the stress of launch and re-entry in apparently good condition.
Model 3 check flights are main milestones for SpaceX as the corporate works to good the primary absolutely reusable rocket for operational use launching authorities and business satellites together with science probes and, ultimately, piloted flights to Mars.
The flights are also essential to NASA, which is paying SpaceX to develop a model of the Starship higher stage to be used as a lander to hold the company’s Artemis astronauts to the floor of the moon beginning in 2028. Shortly thereafter, NASA plans to start launching a number of missions per yr and to construct a base close to the moon’s south pole.
Within the close to time period, NASA plans to launch its subsequent Artemis mission in 2027, sending up 4 astronauts in an Orion capsule atop an SLS rocket to rendezvous in Earth orbit with SpaceX’s lander and an alternate being constructed by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
NASA plans assessments with each landers through the Artemis III mission, however the flight will proceed even when just one is obtainable. Each firms should launch a profitable unpiloted moon touchdown mission earlier than the company will try and land astronauts in 2028.
Neither firm has but put a moon lander in house and each face daunting check schedules. With model 3 of its showcase rocket now obtainable, SpaceX is working to transition from sub-orbital check flights to orbital missions whereas persevering with work to good the methods that might be wanted for moon missions.
A serious problem is the flexibility to autonomously refuel a Starship lander in Earth orbit earlier than it will probably head for deep house. The model 3 Starship now options the attachment factors and fuel-transfer methods that might be wanted for these operations.
SpaceX says the primary in a collection of orbital refueling assessments is deliberate earlier than the top of the yr.
