SpaceX successfully deployed its first third-generation Starlink satellite on Friday using an upgraded version of its prototype Starship. This is the 13th test flight of the supermassive rocket to date. But the company suffered another failure with its Super Heavy booster during a planned mock landing in the Gulf of Mexico.
This is the second time this V3 version of Starship has had problems with the Super Heavy boosters. Last May, during the first Starship V3 flight, SpaceX suffered a failure when Starship’s Super Heavy booster separated from the top of the rocket. After deploying its Starlink satellites, SpaceX was able to perform a simulated landing on the Starship’s upper stage during Friday’s launch.
The launch comes just over a week after SpaceX attempted its 13th spacecraft launch. The attempt had to be aborted shortly after ignition due to numerous rocket engine failures. SpaceX said it replaced six engines ahead of Friday’s flight to fix the problem.
During Friday’s launch, the booster reached further into its planned flight but failed to properly fire all the engines needed for a simulated landing burn. The booster exploded after hitting the water at a faster-than-expected speed.
This is the first Starship launch since SpaceX went public in June in the largest IPO in history. While testing SpaceX’s “flight, fail, fix” approach to Starship development, the company saw its stock price drop the day after the launch suspension last week. The decline is part of a larger downward trend since the IPO, which saw the company’s stock price fall from a high of more than $200 per share to $115 at the close of trading Friday. In after-hours trading, SpaceX shares fell another 2% after the booster failure before recouping some of their losses.
SpaceX had better luck with its Starship V3 upper stage during Friday’s launch. The upper stage lost its rocket engine during the first V3 launch in May. That didn’t happen this time, as Starship encountered no issues deploying the new Starlink. The vessel, as the company calls it, was able to withstand the harsh forces of atmospheric re-entry and perform a mock landing in the Indian Ocean roughly an hour after liftoff.
Unlike previous spacecraft missions, the spacecraft did not explode when it fell into the water. Instead, the spacecraft floated on the water, giving SpaceX the opportunity to use drones to closely inspect the ship’s heat shielding tiles.
Because Starship cannot yet reach Earth’s orbit, the new Starlink satellite burned up in the atmosphere about 20 minutes after deployment. SpaceX was able to communicate with all of them while in space, marking a step forward for that program, which is the only profitable part of the company’s business.
The ability to deploy more capable V3 Starlink satellites improves the economics of the company’s undercapitalized space internet network. SpaceX said launching 60 new satellites from Starship could result in a “potential 20-fold increase” in deployed downlink capacity compared to a single Falcon 9 flying.
However, it is unclear whether SpaceX will be able to realize these benefits if Starship consumes its Super Heavy boosters rather than reusing them. SpaceX’s S-1 said that without a fully reusable Starship, progress on Starlink would be “slower and more expensive.”
With help from Tim Fernholz.
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