Musk's SpaceX company launches the world's largest rocket, Starship V3, for the first time - media

SpaceX conducted the first test flight of the updated Starship V3 rocket.

This was reported by the portal of the American broadcaster CNN.

Starship launched from the Texas SpaceX base, all 33 Raptor engines started without problems. The ship entered a suborbital trajectory and deployed 22 satellite mockups, two of which were equipped with cameras for photographing the heat shield.

However, problems arose: the Super Heavy accelerator did not perform a full "boost back" burn, which is necessary for a controlled landing. Only five of the ship's six engines fired, preventing it from reaching the correct orbit. Despite this, the trajectory remained within acceptable limits. The engines were not restarted in space.

Only two of the three engines worked during the landing, but atmospheric entry and re-entry went smoothly. SpaceX employees greeted the landing with applause.

The Starship V3 is capable of delivering 150 to 250 tons of cargo into orbit. The cost of one launch, according to the financial statements of the SpaceX client, can be about USD 90 million - compared to USD 60-75 million for the launch of the Falcon 9 with a payload capacity of 22.8 tons.

SpaceX plans to use Starship to launch satellites, deep space missions and land NASA astronauts on the Moon in 2028.

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