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SpaceX reveals new details on Starship’s third test flight
SpaceX has revealed some new information regarding the third test flight of its massive Starship rocket.
The flight, which took place from Starbase, Texas, yesterday morning at 8:25 am CT, capitalized on previous test flights and accomplished a host of new objectives.
All 33 Raptor engines lit in a staggered sequence, and once throttled up, the world’s biggest rocket took flight for the third time.
All 33 Raptor engines burning (Credit: SpaceX)
As Starship climbed into the South Texas skies, the 33 engines continued to operate nominally until the hot stage separation, in which 30 of Super Heavy’s engines shut down as Starship lit its 3 sea-level and 3 vacuum Raptor engines and continued to space.
For the first time, the Super Heavy first stage, Booster 10, successfully performed a boost back burn and aimed for a splashdown just East of the launch pad in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the data displayed on the webcast, the booster reached a peak speed of 5750 km/h and an altitude of 106 km.
Super Heavy performing the boost backburn while Starship heads down range (Credit: SpaceX)
Unlike the Falcon 9, the Super Heavy is so big it does not need to do an entry burn however in one of the last bits of data available on the webcast, it showed the booster attempted to begin its landing burn around 1 km in altitude with only 3 engines lighting and 2 shutting off almost immediately after.
SpaceX has since confirmed that Booster 10 experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly just 462 meters above the water’s surface, and it is likely that what remained of the booster hit the water at nearly the speed of sound.
While Booster 10 was meeting its fate in the Gulf of Mexico following a great performance, Ship 28 continued to burn all 6 of its Raptor engines and completed its first full-duration burn, inserting itself into its proper sub-orbital trajectory.
Starship just after Raptor shutdown (Credit SpaceX)
Ship 28 then began its coast phase and started a series of tests. The payload bay door, aka pez door, designed to eventually eject the full-size Starlink satellites, was first commanded to open 12 minutes into the flight. SpaceX has yet to confirm whether it managed to fully open/close the door. At 30:18 into the mission, the door appears to have dislodged into the payload bay, and we no longer got any live views inside the ship.
The next task was to re-light the first-ever Raptor engine in space, but due to the vehicle’s roll rates, SpaceX decided to postpone this until a future flight.
Ship 28 then began atmospheric entry, but the ship seemed to be partially out of control with the spin and eventually began to build up plasma. The heat shield was only half exposed, and the rest was bare stainless steel, taking the brunt of the forces of re-entry.
Ship 28 begins atmospheric re-entry (Credit SpaceX)
Thanks to Starlink terminals on board, SpaceX was able to provide incredible live views from a camera located on one of Starship’s flaps. The plasma began as a faint pink glow before rapidly growing and enveloping the vehicle while still maintaining a good data connection which has never before been possible.
Overall, SpaceX made many great advancements on this third test flight and will look to complete all of these on the fourth test flight, including a smooth splashdown of the Super Heavy booster and successful re-entry through the atmosphere for Starship.
When do you think the 4th test flight will occur, and will they fix the issues encountered during flight 3?
Questions or comments? Shoot me an email at rangle@teslarati.com, or Tweet me @RDAnglePhoto.
News
Tesla CEO Elon Musk outlines expectations for Cybercab production
“…initial production is always very slow and follows an S-curve. The speed of production ramp is inversely proportionate to how many new parts and steps there are. For Cybercab and Optimus, almost everything is new, so the early production rate will be agonizingly slow, but eventually end up being insanely fast.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk outlined expectations for Cybercab production as the vehicle is officially set to start rolling off manufacturing lines at the company’s Giga Texas factory in less than 100 days.
Cybercab is specifically designed and catered to Tesla’s self-driving platform and Robotaxi ride-hailing service. The company has been pushing hard to meet its self-set expectations for rolling out an effective self-driving suite, and with the Cybercab coming in under 100 days, it now needs to push for Unsupervised Self-Driving in the same time frame.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirms Robotaxi is set to go unsupervised
This is especially pertinent because the Cybercab is expected to be built without a steering wheel or pedals, and although some executives have said they would build the car with those things if it were necessary.
However, Musk has maintained that the Cybercab will not have either of those things: it will have two seats and a screen, and that’s it.
With production scheduled for less than 100 days, Musk broke down what people should expect from the initial manufacturing phases, being cautiously optimistic about what the early stages will likely entail:
“…initial production is always very slow and follows an S-curve. The speed of production ramp is inversely proportionate to how many new parts and steps there are. For Cybercab and Optimus, almost everything is new, so the early production rate will be agonizingly slow, but eventually end up being insanely fast.”
Musk knows better than most about the challenges of ramping up production of vehicles. With the Model 3, Musk routinely refers to it as “production hell.” The Cybertruck, because of its polarizing design and stainless steel exterior, also presented challenges to Tesla.
With the important caveat that initial production is always very slow and follows an S-curve.
The speed of the production ramp is inversely proportionate to how many new parts and steps there are.
For Cybercab and Optimus, almost everything is new, so the early production…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 20, 2026
The Cybercab definitely presents an easier production process for Tesla, and the company plans to build millions of units per year.
Musk said back in October 2024:
“We’re aiming for at least 2 million units a year of Cybercab. That will be in more than one factory, but I think it’s at least 2 million units a year, maybe 4 million ultimately.”
When April comes, we will find out exactly how things will move forward with Cybercab production.
Tesla has revealed an awesome Model 3 and Model Y incentive to help consumers make the jump to one of its affordable mass-market vehicles, but it’s ending soon.
Tesla is offering one free upgrade on eligible inventory of the Model 3 and Model Y until February 2.
This would help buyers receive the most expensive paid option on the vehicle at no additional cost, meaning white interior or a more premium paint option will be free of charge if you take delivery on or before February 2.
Tesla states on its website for the offer:
“Only for limited inventory while supplies last. Price displayed on inventory listings already deducts the cost of the free option.”
Tesla says its one free upgrade offer on eligible U.S. inventory for the Model 3 and Model Y ends February 2.
With this incentive, buyers receive the most expensive paid option on the vehicle at no additional cost (up to $2k in savings). pic.twitter.com/IhoiURrsDI
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 21, 2026
This latest incentive is just another advantage Tesla has by selling its vehicles directly and not using some sort of dealership model that relies on approvals from higher-ups. It is important to note that these programs are offered to help stimulate demand and push vehicles into customers’ hands.
It is not the only incentive Tesla is currently offering, either. In fact, there is a much larger incentive program that Tesla is working on, and it has to do with Full Self-Driving transfers, which could result in even more sales for the company through Q1.
Tesla is ending its FSD Transfer program on March 31, as it plans to transition to a Subscription-only basis with the self-driving suite for anyone who has not already purchased it outright.
This could help drive some on-the-fence buyers to new vehicles, but it remains to be seen. Given the timing of the program’s demise, it appears Tesla is hoping to use it to add additional sales and bolster a strong Q1 2026.
Interior and exterior paint colors can add up to $2,000 if you choose the most premium Ultra Red body color, or an additional $1,000 for the Black and White interior option. The discount, while small, could help get someone their preferred design configuration, instead of settling for something that is not quite what they want.
Tesla Full Self-Driving is getting an outrageous insurance offer with insanely cheap rates that will slash the cost of coverage by 50 percent.
Lemonade, a digital insurance company, has launched its first-of-a-kind product known as Lemonade Autonomous Car Insurance, and it is starting with an exclusive offer to FSD. The new offer will cut rates for FSD-engaged driving by “approximately 50 percent,” highlighting the data that shows a significantly safer driving environment when the suite is activated and engaged.
The company also said it plans to introduce even cheaper rates as Tesla continues to release more advanced FSD versions through software updates. Tesla has been releasing new FSD versions every few weeks, highlighting vast improvements for those who have the latest AI4 chip.
The announcement comes just a few months afterLemonade Co-Founder and President Shai Wininger said that he wanted to insure FSD vehicles for “almost free.” He said that Tesla’s API complemented Lemonade’s AI-based platform because it provides “richer and more accurate driving behavior data than traditional UBI devices.”
Tesla Full Self-Driving gets an offer to be insured for ‘almost free’
In mid-December, Lemonade then offered Tesla owners in California, Oregon, and Arizona the opportunity to connect their vehicles directly to the company’s app, which would provide a direct connection and would require a separate telematics device, which is required with other insurance providers who offer rates based on driving behaviors.
This latest development between Lemonade and Tesla is something that Wininger believes will be different because of the advanced nature of FSD:
“Traditional insurers treat a Tesla like any other car, and AI like any other driver. But a car that sees 360 degrees, never gets drowsy, and reacts in milliseconds can’t be compared to a human.”
He went on to say that the existing pay-per-mile product has given the company something that no traditional insurer has been able to offer. This comes through Lemonade’s “unique tech stack designed to collect massive amounts of real driving data for precise, dynamic pricing.”
The reputation FSD has gathered over the past few years is really impressive. Wininger backed this with some more compliments:
“Teslas driven with FSD are involved in far fewer accidents. By connecting to the Tesla onboard computer, our models are able to ingest incredibly nuanced sensor data that lets us price our insurance with higher precision than ever before.”
The product will begin its official rollout in Arizona on January 26. Oregon will get it a month later.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk outlines expectations for Cybercab production
Tesla reveals awesome Model 3 and Model Y incentive, but it’s ending soon
