SpaceX’s Starship flight hits most targets in pre-IPO test | Reuters
SpaceX achieved a mix of success and challenges during the first-ever test flight of its upgraded Starship V3 megarocket on May 22, 2026. The massive spacecraft successfully completed a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean, even after suffering an engine problem during flight.
The launch took place from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas after a previous attempt was canceled just seconds before liftoff a day earlier. This time, all 33 Raptor engines fired successfully, sending the rocket smoothly into the sky.
During the mission, the upper-stage spacecraft released 22 mock satellites while traveling on a brief suborbital journey. Two of those satellites carried cameras that captured impressive views of Starship’s heat shield during flight.
However, the mission was not flawless. One of the spacecraft’s six engines failed to ignite properly, preventing Starship from reaching its planned orbital path. The Super Heavy booster also failed to complete its full return maneuver for a controlled landing.
Despite these setbacks, Starship remained stable during re-entry. The spacecraft managed a controlled splashdown using only two working landing engines instead of the usual three. The dramatic landing triggered loud celebrations among SpaceX employees watching from mission control.
Elon Musk and SpaceX are racing to make Starship fully operational for future satellite launches, deep-space missions, and NASA’s planned moon missions. NASA currently hopes to use Starship to land astronauts on the moon by 2028 as part of the Artemis program.
At the same time, SpaceX faces growing pressure from investors as the company prepares for a potentially record-breaking IPO. Reports suggest Starship launches could eventually cost around $90 million while carrying up to 250 metric tons of cargo into orbit — far more than the company’s current Falcon 9 rocket system.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is also competing with Blue Origin in the race to build the spacecraft that will return humans to the moon first. Blue Origin is developing its Blue Moon lunar lander, while SpaceX continues improving Starship.
SpaceX also still plans to use Starship for ultra-fast Earth travel in the future. The company believes the rocket could one day transport passengers between cities like London and Hong Kong in under an hour, although technical and regulatory hurdles remain.
Even with technical issues, the successful splashdown marked an important milestone for SpaceX’s next-generation rocket program and showed that Starship V3 is making progress toward future commercial and human space missions.
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