SpaceX launches Starship V3 on debut test flight (opens in new tab)

SpaceX launched the first test flight of its upgraded Starship V3 rocket from Starbase, Texas, at about 5:30 p.m. CT on May 22, completing the 12th uncrewed Starship test mission since 2023. The 407-foot vehicle separated cleanly, and the upper-stage Starship continued through space before a planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean roughly an hour later. The flight met several test objectives, but the Super Heavy booster failed to complete its return burn and came down uncontrolled in the Gulf ...