Elon Musk announced today that SpaceX will conduct the final Starship V2 launch from Starbase in South Texas at 7:15 PM ET on October 13 (7:15 AM BST on October 14), marking the company's official entry into the Starship V3 era. Musk released recent photos from the launch, indicating that this will not only be the final Starship V2 launch but also the final use of Starbase Launch Pad 1 in its current configuration. The pad will subsequently undergo extensive upgrades to support the more advanced Starship V3 and subsequent models.
This mission, designated Flight 11, will have a 75-minute launch window and focus on three key technical tests: verifying Starship's reentry aerodynamic characteristics, testing a new booster landing burn configuration, and evaluating heat shield enhancements. The engineering team specifically designed the removal of thermal tiles from certain heated areas to obtain real-world data on the spacecraft's endurance under extreme reentry conditions. These critical test results will directly provide critical technical support for the mass production and subsequent launches of Starship V3.
Notably, Musk previously revealed on the X platform that Starship V3 has entered the production phase, with construction and ground testing expected to be completed by the end of 2025, and possibly even its first test flight. Compared to V2, V3 represents a significant upgrade in both performance and structural scale, theoretically enabling a direct mission to Mars. However, Musk emphasized that the subsequent V4 version will be the one to conduct a full Mars mission, demonstrating SpaceX's long-term technological roadmap for interstellar colonization.
