SpaceX's upgraded Starship V3 ready for debut launch ahead of IPO

By Steve Gorman and Steve Nesius

STARBASE, Texas, May 19 (Reuters) - SpaceX is poised this week to conduct the 12th uncrewed test flight of its next-generation Starship rocket, the first of a newly upgraded vehicle seen as critical to Elon Musk's efforts to satisfy investors and push deeper into ‌space.

The debut flight of the Starship V3, outfitted with new features designed to support future missions to the moon and Mars, poses a key test for ‌both the vehicle itself and investor confidence ahead of an initial public offering for SpaceX expected next month.

The fully reusable rocket ship is crucial to Musk's goals of dramatically cutting launch costs, expanding his Starlink ​satellite business and pursuing ambitions ranging from orbital data centers to human interplanetary missions - all of which are baked into the company's targeted $1.75 trillion initial public offering valuation.

“For an IPO that is leaning so heavily into narrative and symbolism, we believe this flight is the single most important pre-IPO catalyst remaining on SpaceX’s calendar,” PitchBook senior research analyst Franco Granda said.

The towering spacecraft, consisting of the upper-stage Starship astronaut vessel stacked atop its Super Heavy booster rocket, was due for launch as early as 5:30 p.m. CDT on Wednesday (2230 GMT) from the ‌SpaceX facilities in Starbase, Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico.

In ⁠addition to being the inaugural voyage of both the V3 Starship and Super Heavy, test flight 12 will mark the first blastoff from a new launch pad designed for the more powerful rocket.

"EXCITING LANDING"

One of the principal upgrades to the booster rocket is a revamping of ⁠its 33 Raptor engines to produce greater thrust from a design that weighs significantly less.

The propulsion system of the upper-stage Starship likewise has been refined for long-duration missions, with mechanisms to allow for ship-to-ship docking, refueling in space and increased maneuverability.

A key measure of success for future test outings will be post-flight recovery of Starship and the Super Heavy booster, which are being developed ​as ​reusable vehicles.

SpaceX said it would not attempt to safely land or retrieve either portion of the ​spacecraft from this launch. But test objectives include execution of several ‌return-flight maneuvers by the booster and Starship itself, including controlled landing burns before each vehicle splashes down at sea.

The Super Heavy is expected to come down in the Gulf of Mexico about seven minutes after blastoff. Starship's "exciting landing," as SpaceX refers to it, is anticipated about an hour later in the Indian Ocean.