SpaceX successfully launched Starship V3 on its first flight test Friday, sending the upgraded rocket to space, deploying its test payload, and completing a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean after more than an hour in flight.

The mission came a day after a last-second launch scrub caused by a faulty hydraulic pin on the launch tower arm. SpaceX returned to the pad at Starbase, Texas on Friday, and lifted off at 6:30 p.m. EDT, marking the first flight of the company’s redesigned Starship V3 vehicle.

Standing more than 400 feet tall, Starship V3 features upgraded Raptor 3 engines, a redesigned hot-stage system, and changes aimed at improving performance and reusability. The test was designed to evaluate the rocket’s ascent, payload deployment, and reentry systems rather than attempt a recovery.

The launch was not entirely flawless. During the initial climb, several Raptor 3 engines on the Super Heavy booster shut down earlier than expected. However, Starship’s flight software automatically compensated by adjusting thrust levels on the remaining engines, allowing the rocket to continue toward its planned trajectory.

Engine failures overcome

Despite the engine losses, Super Heavy successfully completed hot-stage separation and delivered Starship to the next phase of flight. The booster then performed its boostback maneuver and guided itself to a controlled vertical splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

The upper-stage spacecraft continued into space and completed one of the mission’s primary objectives by opening its payload doors and deploying dummy cargo. The deployment demonstrated the vehicle’s ability to handle future satellite delivery missions.

SpaceX had originally planned to restart a Raptor engine while in space. Mission controllers ultimately decided to skip the reignition test and maintain a stable flight profile.

According to flight updates, engineers chose not to introduce additional risk from an engine restart using a modified propellant configuration. Instead, the vehicle remained on a trajectory optimized for the next major objective: testing its upgraded thermal protection system during atmospheric reentry.

Heat shield faces test

With the engine relight canceled, Starship spent much of the mission coasting quietly through space before beginning its return to Earth.

As the vehicle descended, onboard cameras captured plasma building around Starship’s steering flaps during peak heating. The reentry phase represented one of the most critical parts of the flight because SpaceX has been working to improve the spacecraft’s heat shield following previous test flights.

The spacecraft ultimately completed its atmospheric descent and performed a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The mission ended 1 hour, 5 minutes, and 26 seconds after liftoff.

The successful flight provides SpaceX with its first in-space test data from the V3 configuration and demonstrates the performance of several key upgrades, including the new Raptor 3 propulsion system and modified thermal protection hardware.

The mission also marks a significant step in SpaceX’s effort to increase Starship’s launch cadence as the company prepares the vehicle for future Starlink deployments, NASA lunar missions, and eventual deep-space operations.