SpaceX wrapped up its Starship version 2 flight program with a successful mission on October 13th. This final flight served as a vital testing ground as the company gears up to launch the upgraded V3 of its fully reusable rocket.
The launch occurred at 7:23 p.m. Eastern from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas. The Starship ascended on its planned suborbital path. The Super Heavy booster, previously utilized on Flight 8 in March, tested a modified engine configuration after separating from the upper stage. Instead of three Raptor engines firing during the final phase, five were used. As planned, the booster made a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico near Starbase.
Traveling on a suborbital trajectory similar to prior missions, the Starship deployed eight Starlink mass simulators. Later, a brief relight of one of its six Raptor engines was conducted. The Starship then successfully navigated reentry, during which SpaceX assessed the effects of deliberately missing heat shield tiles and tested a “dynamic banking maneuver.” This maneuver is intended for future flights when the vehicle returns to Starbase for a catch landing. The vehicle splashed down in the Indian Ocean a little over an hour after liftoff.
This launch marked the end of a short but action-packed history for Starship V2. The first three launches experienced mission-ending failures in flight. The Flight 10 mission on August 26 proved a success, completing all planned major objectives, from Starlink mass simulator deployment to a precise reentry and soft splashdown.
Looking ahead, SpaceX is focusing on version 3 of the vehicle, designed to increase payload capacity. This version is expected to be the first to reach orbit after suborbital test flights. SpaceX intends to use it to deploy larger next-generation Starlink satellites. "We’re actively building multiple next-generation v3 Starship and Super Heavy vehicles in the factory," said SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot during the launch webcast.
The upgrades include a “complete overhaul” of the Starship upper stage, from new Raptor engines to docking adapters for in-space propellant transfers. The Super Heavy booster also features an upgraded fuel transfer line and an integrated “hot-staging” ring that will remain attached. The booster’s grid fins have also been redesigned. "Bottom line, this is the Starship we’re planning to use for all of our next major milestones," Huot said.
The vehicle will also be used for NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program, sending a lunar lander version of Starship to the moon for the Artemis 3 crewed landing. While scheduled for 2027, delays could push this back. NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel suggested the mission could be “years late” because of Starship delays. SpaceX aims to start cargo missions to the moon in 2028 and to Mars in 2030, charging $100 million per metric ton of cargo for deliveries.