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Timeline15

  1. Contract awardConfirmed

    NASA selects Starship lunar lander for Artemis

    NASA selected SpaceX for a $2.89 billion contract to develop and demonstrate the HLS Starship lunar lander. This concerns the lunar lander variant, not a completed lunar landing.

    SourcesNASA

  2. First flightConfirmed

    First integrated Starship and Super Heavy flight

    The complete two-stage system first flew on this date. Earlier Starhopper and upper-stage prototype flights are separate tests.

    SourcesSpaceX

  3. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 2 reaches space after hot-stage separation

    The second integrated flight achieved stage separation and reached space. The booster broke apart and the upper stage was destroyed before completing its ascent burn.

    SourcesSpaceX

  4. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 3 completes ascent burn and attempts reentry

    The upper stage completed its ascent burn and began a propellant-transfer demonstration. Both vehicles were lost; the planned in-space engine relight was not attempted.

    SourcesSpaceX

  5. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 4 achieves controlled splashdowns

    Super Heavy completed a soft splashdown off Texas, and Starship survived reentry and landed in the Indian Ocean. This was a test flight, not an orbital payload mission.

    SourcesSpaceX

  6. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 5 achieves first Super Heavy tower catch

    The launch tower caught Super Heavy on the first catch attempt. Starship completed controlled reentry and splashed down in the Indian Ocean.

    SourcesSpaceX

  7. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 6 demonstrates an in-space Raptor relight

    Starship relit a Raptor in space and subsequently splashed down. The booster catch was aborted following tower health checks, and Super Heavy diverted to a soft splashdown.

    SourcesSpaceX

  8. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 7 catches booster but loses upgraded upper stage

    The redesigned Starship upper stage was lost before completing ascent. Super Heavy returned for the program’s second successful tower catch.

    SourcesSpaceX

  9. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 8 catches booster but loses upper stage

    Super Heavy was caught for the third time. Starship lost engines and attitude control during ascent, with final contact about nine and a half minutes after launch.

    SourcesSpaceX

  10. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 9 first reuses a Super Heavy booster

    The reused booster completed ascent but was lost during its landing burn. Starship reached its coast phase, but failed to deploy its simulator payloads and was lost before controlled reentry.

    SourcesSpaceX

  11. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 10 demonstrates payload deployment and splashdowns

    Starship released eight Starlink simulators on a suborbital trajectory and relit a Raptor in space. Both vehicles completed their planned water landings.

    SourcesSpaceX

  12. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 11 concludes second-generation Starship campaign

    The final flight of second-generation Starship deployed eight simulators, relit a Raptor in space and completed a soft splashdown. Super Heavy also splashed down.

    SourcesSpaceX

  13. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 12 introduces V3 vehicles and Raptor 3

    The first V3 flight launched from Pad 2, deploying simulators and two modified satellites on a suborbital trajectory. Super Heavy had a hard splashdown, while Starship completed reentry and splashdown.

    SourcesSpaceX

  14. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 13 deploys Starlink V3 satellites on a test trajectory

    Twenty Starlink V3 satellites were deployed on a trajectory expected to reenter shortly afterward. Starship completed a soft splashdown; Super Heavy experienced a hard splashdown.

    SourcesSpaceX

  15. MilestoneConfirmed

    Flight 14 achieves first orbit and orbital payload delivery

    Starship entered orbit and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites. After shortening its orbital coast because of an ascent engine issue, it deorbited and splashed down in the northern Pacific.

    SourcesSpaceX

Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.

Built with1

  • First test firing of a SpaceX Raptor engine on a horizontal test stand

    Raptor

    PrototypeEngine

    Raptor propulsion family powers both Starship stages; engine counts vary by vehicle generation.

    Link Confirmed

Sources17

  1. 1.

    SpaceX · May 26, 2023 · Supports: System milestone

    “On April 20, 2023 at 8:33 a.m. CT, Starship successfully lifted off”
  2. 2.
    Government recordStarship/Super Heavy

    Federal Aviation Administration · Supports: System

    “The Raptor engine is powered by liquid oxygen and liquid methane.”
  3. 3.

    NASA · Supports: System · system component:raptor

    “Starship, using six Raptor engines, separated from the Super Heavy booster”
  4. 4.

    NASA · Supports: System milestone

    “The firm-fixed price, milestone-based contract total award value is $2.89 billion.”
  5. 5.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “eight Starlink simulators deployed in the first successful payload demonstration from Starship”
  6. 6.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “This was the final flight of the second-generation Starship and first generation Super Heavy booster”
  7. 7.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “This was the first flight of the Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles”
  8. 8.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “Starship then successfully deployed all 20 Starlink V3 satellites”
  9. 9.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “This was the first orbital Starship flight”
  10. 10.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “Starship executed a successful hot-stage separation”
  11. 11.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “becoming the first Starship to complete its full-duration ascent burn”
  12. 12.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “soft splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean”
  13. 13.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “was caught by the chopstick arms of the launch and catch tower at Starbase”
  14. 14.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “The ship successfully reignited a single Raptor engine while in space”
  15. 15.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “resulting in the second successful catch of a Super Heavy booster”
  16. 16.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “resulting in the third successful catch of a Super Heavy booster”
  17. 17.
    CompanySpaceX

    SpaceX · Supports: System milestone

    “The Super Heavy booster supporting the mission made the first ever reflight in the Starship program”

Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.