Overview
- The Starship V3 test, which launched on May 22, 2026, achieved liftoff, clean stage separation and deployment of 22 payloads but experienced premature Raptor engine shutdowns.
- The Super Heavy booster failed to complete its boost‑back burn and fell uncontrolled into the Gulf of Mexico, ending in a non‑precision splashdown.
- The Starship upper stage did not reach a nominal insertion after an engine malfunction yet followed a previously analyzed trajectory, deployed 20 mock Starlink units plus two modified satellites with cameras, and completed planned re‑entry maneuvers.
- Engineers deliberately exposed and marked heat‑shield tiles and gathered imagery from the two camera‑equipped satellites to measure thermal and structural loads during fiery re‑entry.
- SpaceX will analyze telemetry to diagnose the engine and boost‑back anomalies as it presses toward orbital refueling tests later this year, a key step for its NASA Artemis lander work and for investor scrutiny ahead of a likely IPO.