SpaceX's Starship flight hits most targets in pre-IPO test

STARBASE: SpaceX completed a largely successful test flight of its next-generation Starship rocket on Friday, deploying a clutch of mock satellites and executing a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean in a high-stakes debut of the newly upgraded vehicle as Elon Musk's company prepares to go public.

The latest uncrewed launch of Starship - designed to enable more frequent Starlink satellite launches and to send future NASA missions to the moon - achieved a key milestone for the vehicle following months of testing delays. The outcome could also boost investor confidence ahead of SpaceX's initial public offering next month, expected to be the largest in history.

Starship, which SpaceX has spent more than $15 billion developing as a fully reusable spacecraft, is critical to Musk's goals of cutting launch costs, expanding his Starlink business and pursuing ambitions ranging from deep-space exploration to orbital data centers - all factored into his targeted $1.75 trillion IPO valuation.

Friday's launch marked SpaceX's 12th test flight of a Starship prototype since 2023 and the first of its V3 iteration, a major upgrade of both the cruise vessel and its Super Heavy booster, as well as the first blast-off from a launch pad specially designed for the new rocket.

Meaningful step
SpaceX was counting on a successful test flight to reinforce its case that the largest and most powerful rocket ever flown is nearing commercial readiness after years of explosive setbacks and development delays. Friday's test appeared to have achieved most of its major objectives.

The towering vehicle, consisting of the upper-stage Starship astronaut vessel stacked atop a Super Heavy booster rocket, blasted off around 5:30 p.m. CT (2230 GMT) from SpaceX facilities in Starbase, Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville.

Minutes later, the two stages cleanly separated, leaving the Starship vehicle to soar on to its cruise phase despite the loss of one of its six engines, then release its simulated satellite payload before surviving a fiery atmospheric re-entry and splashdown. Its flight lasted just over an hour in all.

This is a Reuters story