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- Source: inbox/queue/2026-04-22-nasaspaceflight-starship-v3-static-fires.md - Domain: space-development - Claims: 0, Entities: 2 - Enrichments: 2 - Extracted by: pipeline ingest (OpenRouter anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5) Pentagon-Agent: Astra <PIPELINE>
47 lines
No EOL
2 KiB
Markdown
47 lines
No EOL
2 KiB
Markdown
# Starship V3
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**Type:** Launch vehicle (next-generation heavy-lift)
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**Developer:** SpaceX
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**Status:** Pre-flight (static fire testing complete as of April 2026)
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**First flight:** Flight 12, targeting early May 2026
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**Launch site:** Starbase Pad 2, Boca Chica, Texas
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## Overview
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Starship V3 is the third-generation design of SpaceX's fully reusable super heavy-lift launch system. It represents a clean-sheet redesign from V2, featuring Raptor 3 engines, increased propellant capacity, and targeting 100+ tonnes payload to LEO.
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## Key Features
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- **Raptor 3 engines:** Simplified design with no external plumbing, reducing failure points and manufacturing complexity
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- **Increased propellant capacity:** Enables higher payload mass and mission flexibility
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- **Target payload:** 100+ tonnes to LEO (up from V2's demonstrated capacity)
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- **Super Heavy Booster 19:** 33 Raptor 3 engines
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- **Ship 39:** Upper stage with Raptor 3 engines
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## Development Status
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V3 development appears more mature than V2 at equivalent milestones. Both Ship 39 and Booster 19 completed full-duration static fires without reported anomalies, contrasting with V2's multiple static fire issues during development.
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## Infrastructure
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Flight 12 will be the first Starship launch from Pad 2 at Starbase, SpaceX's second orbital launch complex. The two-pad configuration doubles potential launch cadence at Boca Chica.
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## Timeline
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- **2025-10-13** — Flight 11 (final V2 flight) completed with ocean splashdown
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- **2026-04** — Ship 39 and Booster 19 complete full static fires
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- **2026-05** (target) — Flight 12, first V3 launch from Pad 2
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## Significance
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V3 performance data will provide the first empirical validation of Starship's path toward sub-$100/kg launch costs. The Raptor 3 simplification and increased payload capacity are critical enablers for the reuse economics model underlying SpaceX's cost trajectory projections.
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## Related Systems
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- Starship V2 (predecessor)
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- Raptor 3 engine
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- Starbase Pad 2
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## Sources
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- NASASpaceFlight.com, April 2026 |