SpaceX’s second-generation spacecraft signs off with a near-perfect test flight
In the final moments of Monday’s flight, Starship flexed its flaps to perform a “dynamic banking maneuver” over the Indian Ocean, then turned vertically and fired its engines to slow down, simulating maneuvers the rocket will perform on future missions back to the launch site. This will be one of the main goals of the next phase of the Starship test campaign, which will begin next year.
Waiting for V3
It will likely be at least a few months before SpaceX is ready to launch its next Starship flight. Starbase technicians are assembling the next Super Heavy booster and the first V3 Starship vehicle. After integration, the booster and spacecraft are expected to undergo cryogenic and static fire tests before SpaceX moves forward with the launch.
“The focus now turns to the next generation of Starship and Super Heavy, with several vehicles currently under active construction and being prepared for testing,” SpaceX wrote on its website. “This next iteration will be used for Starship’s first orbital flights, operational cargo missions, propellant transfers and more as we move toward a fully and rapidly reusable vehicle with service to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.”
Starship V3 will have larger propellant tanks for increased rocket lift capacity, upgraded Raptor 3 engines, and an improved payload bay to support the launch of real Starlink satellites. SpaceX is also using this version of the rocket for orbital refueling tests, a long-awaited milestone for the Starship program now scheduled for next year. Orbital refueling is a critical factor for future Starship flights beyond low-Earth orbit and is essential for SpaceX to fulfill Musk’s ambition to send ships to Mars, the founder’s longtime goal for the company.
It is also essential for Starship flights to the moon. NASA has signed contracts with SpaceX worth more than $4 billion to develop human derivatives of the Starship to land astronauts on the moon as part of the agency’s Artemis program. The orbital refueling demonstration is a key milestone in NASA’s lunar lander contract. It is critical for NASA to do this as soon as possible, as the Artemis moon landing program will be missed in part due to starship delays.
