Elon Musk's new SpaceX rocket faces crucial flight before debut on the stock market

Musk at the SpaceX Star Base in Brownsville, Texas
REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File photo
SpaceX is preparing to carry out the 12th unmanned test of Starship, the company's new generation rocket, this week.
It will be the debut of the V3 version, considered an important step both for Elon Musk's plans to expand space exploration and for the company's long-awaited arrival on the stock exchange.
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The new Starship was equipped with technologies aimed at future missions to the Moon and Mars. Therefore, the test will be closely monitored by investors, as it will take place on the eve of the IPO (acronym in English for initial public offering of shares), a process in which a company starts to have shares traded on the stock exchange.
The rocket is a central part of Musk's strategy to reduce the costs of space launches, expand the Starlink satellite network and enable projects such as orbiting data centers and manned missions to other planets. These plans support the company's estimated $1.75 trillion market valuation at IPO.
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"For an IPO that relies so much on narrative and symbolism, we believe this flight is the most important pre-IPO catalyst left on SpaceX's calendar," said Franco Granda, senior analyst at PitchBook.
Liftoff could occur as early as Thursday from the company's Starbase, Texas, base. on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to marking the debut of Starship V3, the test will be the first carried out on a new launch platform, built to support a more powerful rocket.
What changed in the new version
Starship is made up of two main parts: the upper ship, designed to transport astronauts and cargo, and the Super Heavy rocket booster, responsible for propelling the set in the first minutes of flight.
One of the main changes is in the Super Heavy, which had the 33 Raptor engines redesigned to generate more power with a structure lighter.
The upper part of the ship has also been improved for long duration missions. Among the new features are systems that will allow docking between spacecraft, refueling in orbit and greater maneuverability.
What the test will be like
Starship takes beautiful images of Earth before landing in the Indian Ocean
Reproduction/SpaceX
SpaceX reported that it will not attempt to land or recover either part of the rocket in this mission. Even so, the test will include controlled return maneuvers before the stages fall into the sea.
The Super Heavy is expected to land in the Gulf of Mexico around seven minutes after takeoff. Starship is expected to complete the flight approximately an hour later, with a predicted crash in the Indian Ocean.
Before re-entering the atmosphere, the ship must release 20 Starlink satellite simulators and two real satellites adapted to inspect the spacecraft's heat shield and transmit data to operators on the ground.
Testing is closely monitored by investors
SpaceX's engineering culture is based on carrying out frequent tests, even with the risk of failure, and using the results to improve vehicles quickly.
For this reason, the market will closely monitor the performance of the Starship V3. A successful flight could reinforce the perception that the largest and most powerful rocket ever built is getting closer to entering commercial operation.
Moon, Mars and the new space race
Elon Musk stated a year ago that he hopes to send the first unmanned Starship mission to Mars at the end of 2026.
The rocket is also part of a contract worth more than US$3 billion signed with NASA in the Artemis program, which aims to take astronauts back to the lunar surface before this decade.
These plans place Starship at the center of a new space race with China, which aims to achieve its own manned landing on the Moon in 2030.

Source: G1