SpaceX's Starship V3—still a work in progress—mostly successful on first flight

SpaceX successfully conducted the first test flight of its upgraded Starship V3 rocket and Super Heavy booster, which splashed down in the Indian Ocean after a 5:30 pm CDT launch from Starbase in South Texas. The 408-foot-tall rocket, powered by 33 methane-fueled engines, outperformed previous Starship versions that failed on their inaugural flights in 2023 and 2025.