Starship finally broke a losing streak of back-to-back flops, acing its 10th suborbital flight last month. Following the rocket’s success, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk is now confident that the massive vehicle will begin flying payloads to space in 2026.
During an interview with the All-In Podcast, Musk explained how an upgraded version of Starship will reach orbit by next year and demonstrate full reusability of the Super Heavy booster and its upper stage. “Unless we have some very major setbacks, SpaceX will demonstrate full reusability next year, catching both the booster and the ship and being able to deliver over 100 tons to a useful orbit,” he said.
Starship’s latest flight was a success, but it did follow a string of launches where the rocket failed to meet its mission objectives. It would be foolish to assume SpaceX can get its rocket operational by next year without seeing how the next couple of launches stack up to Starship’s recent track record.
Upgraded Starship
Starship version 3 is a next-generation upgrade to the current prototype, featuring a larger vehicle that’s capable of carrying more propellant. The rocket will also use a more powerful and efficient version of its engines, the third-generation Raptor engines.
Musk emphasized that “pretty much everything changes on the rocket with version 3,” while adding that it will be a learning curve for the company to fly the upgraded version. The upgraded Starship “might have some initial teething pains because it’s such a radical redesign,” he said.
The current version of Starship is set to fly once more this year before switching to version 3, according to Musk.
It’s the heat shield, stupid
Starship lifted off for its 10th test flight on August 26 from SpaceX’s launch pad in Starbase, Texas. Following a string of unsuccessful flights, SpaceX needed to pull off Starship’s fourth launch of the year to get its megarocket back on track.
After days of anticipation, the rocket had a near-flawless performance, executing a smooth separation and booster landing. Around 18 minutes after liftoff, the rocket opened its bay doors and deployed Starlink mockups, marking the first time Starship ejected payloads into space.
During its latest flight, SpaceX ran a stress test on the vehicle by deliberately compromising the heat shield to see how the rocket would handle it. Footage of Starship returning to perform a controlled touchdown in the Indian Ocean revealed some intense scarring on the rocket, displaying a bright orange hue on the side of the vehicle.
“For full reusability of the ship, there’s still a lot of work that remains on the heat shield,” Musk said. “We really are looking at fundamental physics here…trying to figure out how do we make something that can withstand the heat, is very light, doesn’t transmit the heat to the primary structure, and the tiles stay on and don’t crack.”
Following the most recent test flight, Musk also said that SpaceX will attempt to catch the Starship upper stage with Mechazilla’s “chopstick” arms. In a post on X, the SpaceX founder said the company may attempt to catch the upper stage during test flights 13 through 15, depending on how well the upgraded version performs during its inaugural launch.
Musk is known for providing overly ambitious timelines and failing to meet them. While the company is eager to deliver its rocket to orbit sooner rather than later, it’s not yet clear whether Starship will be ready to deliver payloads to space by next year considering all the work that still needs to be done on this potentially revolutionary launch vehicle.