SpaceX launches Starship v3 rocket

SpaceX got its Starship v3 prototype off the ground after delaying the launch the day before, and the real fireworks may have been in the comment section. The broad mood was basically: messy, scary, but wow. Viewers admitted the flight had a rough start, with people spotting trouble on both the lower rocket and the upper ship, and one commenter summed up the collective stress perfectly by calling it “kind of a rough start” before instantly pivoting to the part everyone couldn’t stop raving about: the video.

That’s because the community was completely obsessed with the footage. One fan gushed that seeing the practice cargo deploy — and especially the camera angle looking back at the ship — was “really cool.” Another described the engine area as looking downright ominous, with a red glow and something blasting out of a damaged engine, which made many viewers think this was heading toward disaster. Instead, the ship kept going, reached orbit, dropped its payload, and even nailed its landing target, prompting praise for the software team that kept the whole thing under control.

The mini-drama? People were split between “a win is a win” and “let’s not ignore the broken parts.” Some were thrilled the upper ship survived at all; others pointed out the booster’s return didn’t go as planned. Still, even the nitpickers sounded impressed. The funniest vibe of the night was pure exhausted amazement: everyone came for a rocket launch, stayed for the suspense, and left acting like they’d watched a sci-fi season finale with a shockingly satisfying ending.