Starship V3 Test Ends in Planned Splashdown After Engine Losses

SpaceX advanced its lunar and Mars ambitions with the first flight of an upgraded Starship vehicle that reached its target despite losing engines on both stages. The test carried direct stakes for NASA’s Artemis program and the company’s plans to scale satellite deployment and crewed missions. Readers see a vehicle that lifted off successfully, released payloads, gathered reentry data, and executed its final maneuvers before a controlled ocean impact.

The rocket lifted off from Starbase, Texas, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on May 22 after a one-day delay caused by a hydraulic pin issue on the launch tower. All 33 Raptor 3 engines on the Super Heavy booster ignited at liftoff. One shut down during ascent. The booster performed a directional flip but managed only a partial boostback burn and fell into the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX had not planned to recover this booster. The upper-stage Ship lost one of six engines yet followed its planned trajectory, deployed 20 mock Starlink satellites plus two modified satellites that captured images of the vehicle, collected heat-shield performance data during atmospheric reentry, and conducted flap and trajectory maneuvers. After a landing flip and burn on two engines, the Ship splashed down in the Indian Ocean and burned as designed.

SpaceX described the outcome as meeting most test objectives. Company founder Elon Musk called the flight an “epic first Starship V3 launch and landing.” The test occurred days after the company filed IPO paperwork, with shares expected to begin trading in June. NASA continues to rely on a future version of Starship to land astronauts on the Moon.