SpaceX launched its upgraded Super Heavy-Starship rocket Friday evening from the Texas Gulf Coast, marking the first test flight of a Version 3 configuration and the first use of the company's second Texas launch pad.
The 407-foot rocket lifted off at approximately 6:30 p.m. EDT from SpaceX's Starbase launch site. It generates up to 18 million pounds of thrust, which is twice the liftoff power of NASA's SLS moon rocket. The launch had been delayed by a last-minute scrub Thursday due to a minor glitch with a launch pad system, as well as two weather delays before that.
The flight was not without problems. One of the Super Heavy first stage's 33 methane-fueled Raptor 3 engines shut down early during the climb out of the lower atmosphere, and additional engines failed to run properly during an attempt to fly the stage back to its planned splashdown point off the Texas coast. On the upper stage, which carried six third-generation Raptor engines, one of three optimized for operating in a vacuum shut down early during the climb to space. The flight computer responded by running the remaining five engines longer than originally planned, placing the craft on an acceptable sub-orbital trajectory.
The cause of the engine shutdowns was not immediately known.
Once in space, the Starship appeared to perform well. It deployed 22 Starlink internet satellite simulators from what CBS News described as an upgraded Pez-like dispenser. Two of the simulators carried cameras that sent back images of the Starship from outside, a capability that will be used on future flights to assess the condition of the vehicle's heat shield tiles.
Two minutes and 24 seconds after liftoff, after clearing the dense lower atmosphere, the Starship upper stage's six Raptor engines ignited just before the Super Heavy booster separated and began its return.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman watched the launch in person. In a social media post, he congratulated SpaceX and Elon Musk, writing that it was "a hell of a V3 Starship launch. One step closer to the Moon...one step closer to Mars." Musk also posted to his X platform, congratulating SpaceX "on an epic first Starship V3 launch & landing! You scored a goal for humanity."
The new launch pad was specifically designed to better withstand the demands of repeated launches by the world's most powerful rocket. Once the vehicle is fully operational, SpaceX plans to use it to launch large batches of next-generation Starlink satellites, along with government and commercial payloads. Longer-term goals include missions to the moon and Mars.
Engineers will continue working through issues identified in Friday's flight as more test launches are planned.
