Overview
- Starship V3 is slated to lift off from Starbase in South Texas during a window that opens at 6:30 p.m. ET Tuesday after SpaceX moved the target by one day.
- The Federal Aviation Administration issued a new launch license, clearing a key regulatory step for the debut of the redesigned rocket from SpaceX’s new Pad 2.
- The flight plan calls for the Super Heavy booster to execute a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico with no tower catch, while the upper stage is expected to splash down in the Indian Ocean about 65 minutes after liftoff.
- SpaceX plans to release roughly 20 to 22 Starlink simulators, including two inspector units to image the heat shield, with several tiles painted or removed to study reentry behavior and a planned in-space engine relight test.
- V3 introduces 33 Raptor 3 engines producing about 18 million pounds of thrust, a payload target near 100 tons to low Earth orbit, and hardware for orbital refueling, raising stakes for Artemis timelines and for SpaceX’s reported IPO plans.