Starlink confirms in‑orbit testing of next‑gen V3 satellite hardware

Starlink said on May 22 that it is testing next-generation V3 satellite hardware on modified spacecraft, giving the clearest public sign yet that SpaceX has begun in-orbit work on the system it plans to use for its next capacity jump. The disclosure coincided with SpaceX’s first flight of Starship V3, the upgraded version of the company’s heavy-lift rocket. SpaceX said that mission, Flight 12 from Starbase, Texas, was also the first Starship flight to deploy modified Starlink satellites to image Starship in space. Together, the statements show SpaceX is using live flight hardware, not only ground development, as it prepares the V3 network rollout. ### What exactly did Starlink confirm on May 22? Basenor reported that the official Starlink account said on May 22 that it was “actively testing” next-generation V3 satellite hardware on modified spacecraft ahead of broader deployment. The report said the announcement came the same day as Starship V3’s debut flight. SpaceX’s own flight summary did not use the phrase “testing V3 hardware,” but it did confirm the operational piece behind the claim. (basenor.com) The company said Flight 12 was the first Starship mission to deploy modified Starlink satellites to image Starship in space, and later said Starship successfully deployed two modified Starlink satellites along with 20 Starlink simulators during coast. ### What flew on the Starship V3 mission? SpaceX said Starship lifted off on Friday, May 22, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. CT from Starbase, Texas, on its twelfth flight test. The company described it as the first flight of the Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles, the first flight of Raptor 3 engines, the first flight from Pad 2, and the first Starship mission to deploy modified Starlink satellites to image the vehicle in space. (spacex.com) During the coast phase, SpaceX said Starship deployed all 20 Starlink simulators and the two modified Starlink satellites on the same suborbital trajectory as the vehicle. That language indicates the satellites were used as mission support hardware during the test flight, while the separate Starlink statement, as cited by Basenor, indicates at least some V3-related hardware is being evaluated on modified spacecraft in orbit. That connection is an inference based on the timing and matching descriptions, not a fuller technical breakdown from SpaceX. (spacex.com) ### Why does this matter for the V3 system? Starlink said in a recent network update that its third-generation satellites and gateway ground stations are expected to deliver “an order of magnitude improvement in capacity” versus the current satellites. The company also said it was targeting the first launches of third-generation satellites in the first half of 2026. SpaceX said separately in its May 12 Starship V3 update that Starship would begin delivering the “much more powerful V3 Starlink satellites” this year, and that each launch would add more than 20 times the capacity of current Falcon launches carrying V2 Starlink satellites. (spacex.com) ### What has SpaceX said about the rocket side of the plan? SpaceX said Starship is designed to carry more than 100 metric tonnes to orbit in a fully reusable configuration, a payload class that underpins the company’s plan to launch larger third-generation Starlink spacecraft. (starlink.com) The company’s Flight 12 page said the May 22 mission gathered data on Starship’s heatshield, structural strength and flight profile, even as the booster made a hard splashdown and the ship ended with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. (spacex.com) Those details matter because Starlink’s V3 deployment plan depends on Starship becoming a regular launch vehicle, not a one-off demonstrator. ### What comes next? (spacex.com) Starlink’s network update says the company is targeting third-generation satellite launches in the first half of 2026, while SpaceX’s Starship V3 update says Starship will begin delivering V3 satellites this year. The next concrete markers are additional Starship test flights and any further Starlink disclosures about the modified satellites and V3 hardware now being tested. (starlink.com) (spacex.com)