SpaceX launches Starship V3, deploys most advanced Starlink satellites

SpaceX launched its massive Starship megarocket on a crucial test flight Friday night, successfully deploying a batch of advanced satellites before completing a controlled ocean splashdown halfway across the globe. The 407-foot (124-meter) vehicle—the largest and most powerful rocket ever built—blasted off from the company’s coastal launch pad near the Texas-Mexico border following a series of delays, including a launch abort last week and poor weather caused by Tropical Storm Bertha. The hourlong flight marked the 13th test overall for Starship and the second for its upgraded V3 configuration. The mission served as a vital milestone for NASA, which plans to use Starship as a human landing system for its Artemis program, as well as a landmark event for SpaceX in its first test flight as a publicly traded company. Successful Deployment and Splashdown Unlike previous attempts that ended in midair breakups or explosive impacts, Friday’s test demonstrated significant improvements in reentry and spacecraft control: Super Heavy Booster: Two minutes into the flight, the first-stage booster separated as planned. Although all 33 engines ignited at liftoff, fewer engines than intended relit during descent, causing the booster to drop too quickly and slam into the Gulf of Mexico. Payload Operations: The upper Starship craft continued eastward, ascending 124 miles (200 kilometers) above Earth to deploy 20 advanced Starlink satellites via its payload dispenser. SpaceX confirmed engineers successfully established communication and retrieved data from all 20 units within their 20-minute operational window. Controlled Reentry: The spacecraft reentered the atmosphere and completed a controlled upright hover over the Indian Ocean, more than 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) from the launch site, before making a soft splashdown. Cameras onboard six of the Starlink satellites beamed back high-definition footage of the intact vehicle floating after landing. Engine Fixes and Heat Shield Testing SpaceX engineers had worked around the clock heading into Friday's attempt. After six first-stage engines failed to ignite during a launch attempt on July 16, technicians replaced all six units. The test also focused heavily on evaluating Starship’s thermal protection system. Engineers installed pressure sensors and deliberately painted select black heat shield tiles white to simulate missing tiles, testing how well the craft handles the extreme friction of reentry. "We got all the heat shield data we needed and then some!" SpaceX founder Elon Musk posted on X following the splashdown. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the accomplishment on social media, noting he was "excited for what will be learned from this mission." NASA is closely tracking Starship's progress to ensure the vehicle is ready for a critical test flight next year, during which Artemis III astronauts—three Americans and one Italian—are scheduled to practice orbital docking procedures ahead of a planned moon landing. _______________ Stay up to date with our social media: WOAI on Instagram:   / news4sa   WOAI on Facebook:   / news4sa   WOAI on Twitter:   / news4sa   Subscribe to WOAI on YouTube:    / @woaivideo   Daily News Playlist:    • Playlist   For more information, visit https://news4sanantonio.com/ Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 210.442-6397 WOAI is a TX based station and an NBC Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. #WOAI #NEWS4SA #NEWS4SanAntonio #WOAI4 #SanAntonio