USA: Super Heavy V3 for Starship-First show and test plans

In Texas, the engine section of the new Super Heavy V3 accelerator, a key element of the next generation of the Starship system, is presented. The unit is equipped with 33 upgraded Raptor 3 engines capable of developing over 16 thousand tons of thrust, which is 40 percent higher than previous versions. The increase in thrust, combined with the claimed improvements in maintainability and service life, lays the groundwork for a higher launch frequency and greater payload headroom — a critical factor for bulky cargo removal and interplanetary logistics.

The engine section removed from the assembly building was moved to MegaBay for final integration: installation of cryobucks, interstage units and control systems. This phase will determine the pace of the entire V3 testing campaign, from static fire runs to ground infrastructure inspections. According to the company's estimates, fire tests are expected before the end of the year. In parallel, a second attempt at a static fire test of the current generation of the ship is being prepared; the upcoming flight will be the final one for the Starship 2 configuration, after which attention will switch to the bundle with the V3 accelerator.

From an engineering point of view, the focus on Raptor 3 and the redesigned stage architecture is aimed not only at increasing traction and energy characteristics, but also at reducing the total cost of the "production-start — up — return — maintenance"cycle. If the stated parameters are confirmed on the stand and in flight, V3 can reduce downtime between missions and expand the trajectory corridors-from heavy low orbits to high-energy profiles with in-orbit refueling. For the market, this means faster access to a sustainable model of super — heavy launches, where the cost of a kilogram of mass output is reduced due to serial production and reuse, and for scientific and commercial customers-the ability to plan more complex missions with fewer docking operations.

The next few months will test the maturity of the Starfactory production pipeline and the technological discipline of ground services. The time of transition to flight tests, as well as the schedule of subsequent serial boosters, depends on how quickly and trouble-free the fire tests and the first power-ups on the stand will pass. The competitive advantages of V3 will be confirmed not by press releases, but by the stability of the launch campaign and the speed of fleet turnover-key metrics that the industry closely monitors.