SpaceX has achieved another major milestone in its Mars mission ambitions with the successful assembly of the first complete Starship V3 at Starbase, Texas. The fully stacked rocket, standing under cloudy Texas skies, was revealed through images shared on SpaceX’s official X account with the caption: “First full stack of Starship V3.”
At 124 metres tall, Starship is currently the tallest rocket ever built and remains central to SpaceX’s long-term vision of transporting humans and cargo to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The fully reusable launch system consists of 2 stages — the Super Heavy booster as the first stage and the Starship spacecraft as the upper stage designed to carry crew and cargo into space.
The newly assembled V3, also known as Block 3, is the most advanced version of Starship so far. It includes several upgrades aimed at improving performance, reducing maintenance, and increasing payload capability.
One of the biggest improvements comes from the new Raptor 3 engines used on both stages of the rocket. Each engine generates nearly 280 tonnes of thrust, around 22% more than the previous Raptor 2 engines. The Super Heavy booster uses 33 engines, while the Starship spacecraft carries 6 engines.
Unlike earlier versions, the Raptor 3 features a simplified internal design with fewer exposed pipes, sensors, and fire-suppression systems. This makes the engine lighter, more efficient, and easier to maintain.
Starship V3 also features stretched propellant tanks capable of carrying nearly 12% more fuel, along with upgraded heat-shield tiles designed to better protect the spacecraft during atmospheric re-entry.
The stacking of Ship 39 on Booster 19 now prepares the system for Flight Test 12, expected no earlier than May 12. Before launch, engineers will conduct a wet dress rehearsal, a complete fueling test without liftoff, to verify system performance.
If successful, Starship V3 could eventually carry up to 150 metric tonnes into low-Earth orbit with minimal refurbishment between missions, bringing SpaceX closer to its goal of rapid and reusable space transportation.
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