SpaceX Rolls Out Starship V3: What's New

SpaceX Rolls Out Starship V3: What's New

SpaceX has rolled out the first of its next-generation Starship vehicles for ground tests, marking another step toward a fully reusable heavy-lift rocket.

Designated Starship V3 SN1, the updated upper stage has departed the build site, prompting Elon Musk to offer strong expectations for its future while also acknowledging the realities of rocketry.

Starship V3 SN1 headed for ground tests.

I am highly confident that the V3 design will achieve full reusability. https://t.co/P3XS1pBeZd

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 27, 2026

Starship V3 Changes

The V3 variant is widely regarded as a shift from Starship’s experimental phase to true operational scaling. It introduces several upgrades, including a slightly taller structure and increased propellant capacity compared to earlier versions.

Crucially, it features new-generation Raptor V3 engines that aim to deliver significantly higher thrust while lowering both cost and weight.

V3 is also heavily optimized for manufacturability, a key step to ramp launch cadence for Starlink, lunar, AI satellite, and Mars missions.

Following the rollout of SN1, Elon Musk expressed confidence that Ship V3 will be the design that achieves full reusability. SpaceX is targeting the debut flight of V3 SN1 sometime in March 2026.

Catching Starship

SpaceX has already demonstrated catching the Super Heavy booster with the launch tower’s robotic arms, but recovering the upper-stage ship is a different engineering challenge.

The second successful catch of the Super Heavy booster pic.twitter.com/FanOyDoE8Z

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 18, 2025

Traveling at orbital velocities, the ship must endure intense reentry heating before attempting a flip or landing burn. Bringing a large steel vehicle back over populated areas and critical infrastructure introduces substantial risk.

In a follow-up post, Musk outlined a safety-first recovery plan: SpaceX will conduct two safe, soft water landings before attempting a proper on-land catch. This approach reduces the chance of breakup on impact or during landing and helps prevent damage.

Practicing Over Water

Targeting offshore splashdown zones for the first V3 flights allows thorough testing of the heat shield, aerodynamic flap actuation, and Raptor V3 landing burns without risking debris over Starbase or along the flight path.

If V3 performs flawlessly on its initial missions and repeats two soft landings, the first attempt to catch the upper stage with the launch tower could come as early as this year. Until then, early V3 ships will be allowed to sink after splashdown to gather reentry data.