SpaceX is making the next Starship launch completely different and unique!

Video from the channel Raumtechnik about SpaceX, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 10:18. Language: German. Video type: News.

The video explains that Starship's twelfth flight will be the first for version 3 of the vehicle and the debut of the Raptor 3 engines. On this mission, SpaceX forgoes reaching orbit and focuses on checking that the new engines ignite, throttle, and shut down as planned. It also debuts new methods for attaching the heat shield tiles, after previous flights lost or damaged tiles during reentry.

The channel compares Starship with the Falcon 9, about 70 m tall and capable of carrying 22 t to low Earth orbit in reusable configuration, and with the Falcon Heavy, which reaches 64 t in expendable mode. Stacked with the Super Heavy booster, Starship measures about 120 m, and its 33 Raptor 2 engines produce around 7,590 t of thrust combined. Against the criticism that it has yet to reach orbit while New Glenn, Vulcan, Ariane 6, or Zhuque-2 already have, the video points out that none of them aims for full reusability or 100 t payloads. It also describes the hot-staging separation and the booster catch with the tower's mechanical arms.

The Raptor 3 is more compact, exceeds 280 t of thrust, has fewer external lines, and is designed for mass production. According to the video, flight 13 would be the first realistic candidate for an orbital attempt, and catching the upper stage could come between flights 13 and 15, depending on the new version's performance.