The third-generation vehicles, known as Starship V3 and Super Heavy V3, are powered by the company’s latest Raptor 3 engines and incorporate years of lessons learned from an aggressive flight test campaign aimed at making the system fully reusable and capable of supporting missions to the moon and Mars.
Among the most visible changes to the Super Heavy booster is a redesigned grid fin arrangement.
SpaceX detailed the changes to the design, stressing changes to the booster which now carries three fins instead of four, with each fin around 50 per cent larger and substantially stronger than those used on earlier vehicles.
The fins have also been repositioned lower on the booster to reduce heat exposure during the dramatic “hot staging” manoeuvre, where the upper-stage Starship ignites its engines before separating from the booster.
SpaceX has also overhauled the booster’s hot-staging architecture. Rather than relying on a disposable protective interstage, the new design integrates the system directly into the vehicle structure. Internal fuel tank pressure and specialised shielding now protect the booster during stage separation, while retractable actuators help shield critical hardware from the intense exhaust generated by the upper-stage engines.
The booster’s fuel transfer system has likewise been completely redesigned. The enormous pipework feeding cryogenic propellant to all 33 Raptor engines is now roughly the size of an entire Falcon 9 first stage, enabling faster and more reliable engine starts and manoeuvres.
At the rear of the booster, thermal protection systems have been simplified and strengthened. Large engine shrouds have been eliminated entirely, while propulsion, avionics and power systems have been more tightly integrated to improve reliability and reduce mass.
The company also stated that the changes will also allow SpaceX to remove the carbon dioxide fire suppression system previously required around the engine bay.
Starship itself has undergone a major clean-sheet redesign focused on long-duration spaceflight. Engineers have increased propellant tank volume, introduced a more efficient reaction control system and improved cryogenic fuel management for extended missions in orbit.
The spacecraft is also now equipped with docking hardware and propellant transfer connections, a critical step towards SpaceX’s long-term goal of orbital refuelling between Starships. Such capabilities are considered essential for future deep-space missions, including lunar landings and eventual crewed flights to Mars.
The upgraded Starlink satellite deployment system has also been enhanced, allowing faster release of satellites into orbit.
Central to the redesign is the new Raptor 3 engine. The sea-level variant now produces 250 tonnes of thrust, up from 230 tonnes previously, while the vacuum-optimised version generates 275 tonnes of thrust. Despite the increased performance, engineers have reduced engine mass through major simplification efforts, cutting roughly one tonne of weight per engine at the vehicle level.
SpaceX said the new generation of vehicles will also feature dramatically improved avionics, including around 60 integrated custom-built units capable of delivering approximately nine megawatts of peak electrical power across the launch system. Enhanced navigation sensors, upgraded onboard cameras and high-speed Starlink connectivity are expected to support highly autonomous operations and rapid reusability.
The upcoming Flight 12 mission will also mark the debut of Pad 2 at Starbase. The new launch site incorporates larger propellant storage systems, faster loading equipment and redesigned “chopstick” arms on the launch tower, which are intended to catch returning boosters and spacecraft directly from the air.
According to SpaceX, the combined upgrades are designed to deliver a major leap in Starship capability, paving the way for rapid reuse, in-orbit refuelling, large-scale satellite deployment and eventual human missions beyond Earth orbit.
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