SpaceX launched an upgraded version of its Starship rocket on a test flight Friday from the southern tip of Texas, an attempt to advance the company’s development of a reusable vehicle NASA is counting on for future lunar missions. The flight, described as a debut for the redesigned mega rocket, took place two days after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced he is taking the company public.
On the mission, the upgraded Starship released 20 mock Starlink satellites midway through a flight that lasted about an hour. After traveling halfway around the world, the spacecraft reached its intended destination in the Indian Ocean despite some engine trouble, according to the account of the launch and landing provided around the test flight.
SpaceX said the final outcome—an ignition after impact—was not unexpected. The spacecraft descended toward the ocean apparently under control before toppling over and burning on impact, the report said.
Musk praised the test in remarks shared with his team, telling them via X, “You scored a goal for humanity.” He also called the launch and landing “an epic,” in comments attributed to him during or after the mission.
The flight was the 12th Starship test for the rocket that SpaceX is building as part of a longer-term plan to transport people to Mars. The test flight campaign is also tied to NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon and develop landing capability.
The upgraded rocket, described as a “V3” version, had lifted off from a brand-new launch pad at Starbase near the Mexican border after last-minute pad issues thwarted an earlier attempt on Thursday evening. The earlier lineup of Starships for this test series ended after an October launch, when the previous generation of “space-skimming” Starships flew for the last time.
During Friday’s attempt, there was no fireball at liftoff, but the report said not all of the engines fired as the booster attempted a controlled return. It also said the spacecraft had to operate with fewer engines, while still continuing its eastward trajectory about 120 miles (194 kilometers) up before the final descent.
The report said modified Starlinks equipped with cameras were ejected from the Starship during the flight, providing brief views of the spacecraft in action—described as a first. It also said the latest model, at 407 feet (124 meters), eclipsed older Starship lines by several feet and carried more engine thrust as part of the redesign.
The redesigned booster uses a modified approach for steering and fuel delivery, with fewer but bigger grid fins intended to help guide the rocket back to Earth after liftoff and a larger fuel transfer line intended to feed the rocket’s 33 main engines. The spacecraft also features more cameras and navigation and computer power, along with docking cones for future rendezvous and moon missions.
Although Starship is designed to be fully reusable, with mechanical arms at launch pads intended to catch returning stages, this latest test flight involved no recovery. The report said the Gulf of Mexico marked the end for the first-stage booster, while the Indian Ocean ended the spacecraft and its satellite demonstrations.
Isaacman, who flew in for the launch, said Starship is “now one step closer to the moon.” NASA is paying SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin billions of dollars for the lunar landers intended for Artemis astronauts, and the competition has been framed as an effort by both companies to be ready first.
NASA’s Artemis schedule includes an April successful lunar flyaround followed by a planned docking trial run in Earth orbit next year with Artemis III, when astronauts will practice docking their Orion capsule with Starship, Blue Moon or both. A moon landing by two astronauts, Artemis IV, could follow as soon as 2028 using whichever lander is ready first, with the goal of establishing a moon base near the lunar south pole staffed by astronauts and robots.
SpaceX also has reservations for private flights to the moon and Mars on Starship, including a reported signup by Dennis Tito, the world’s first space tourist, along with his wife, for a flight around the moon with timing described as uncertain. Another wealthy customer, Chinese-born bitcoin investor Chun Wang, announced he will fly to Mars on Starship’s first interplanetary mission, the report said, though no price tag or date was revealed.