SpaceX, the space company led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, achieved a key objective in a test flight of a new model of its next-generation spacecraft Starship. With a successful technology demonstration ahead of an initial public offering (IPO), market interest is rising.
According to a live stream SpaceX aired on the 22nd (local time), the thoroughly redesigned next-generation model "V3" Starship lifted off from Starbase, Texas, at about 5:30 p.m. V3 is a newly developed model following 11 test flights.
After reaching a near-Earth orbit, the V3 Starship successfully deployed 22 mock satellites. It also transmitted real-time video of the spaceflight. After completing the mission, it reentered the atmosphere about an hour after liftoff and splashed down at a target point in the Indian Ocean. It ended the flight after performing, as planned, a maneuver to set the vehicle upright.
With this successful test flight, SpaceX has highlighted the potential for commercializing Starship ahead of an IPO targeted for next month. There is also an assessment that the company moved a step closer to its plan, disclosed to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in January, to launch 1 million satellites for building a space data center.
Some tasks remain, however. The Super Heavy first-stage booster separated successfully and descended into the Gulf of Mexico a few minutes after liftoff, but the booster failed to perform a "controlled splashdown," in which the vehicle touches down on the sea while upright, because its engines did not ignite sufficiently.
The Starship upper stage also experienced an issue in which 1 of its 6 engines did not ignite. SpaceX compensated by extending the burn time of the remaining engines. The Starship test launch had originally been scheduled for the 21st, but the timeline was pushed back by one day due to a defect in the launch pad's mechanical arm.
Blue Origin, SpaceX's competitor, is also ramping up investment. Blue Origin, led by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, will build a $600 million (about 900 billion won) manufacturing facility to expand the "Rocket Park" campus at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the plan on the day.