— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 13, 2025 Super Heavy V3 has an integrated hot-staging system that replaces the previous single-use protective interstage. Starship uses a hot-staging maneuver for its stage separation—when the upper-stage engines ignite before the booster engines are completely cut off. Instead of relying on a disposable structure to shield the booster from the upper-stage engine blast, the system is now built into the booster itself, reducing the amount of parts lost after each mission and the need for post-flight repair. SpaceX also modified the V3 booster’s grid fins to optimize its reusability. The first stage will have three fins as opposed to four, and each fin is now 50% larger and “significantly stronger,” according to SpaceX. These lattice-like structures help steer Super Heavy back to Earth with precision, enabling the “chopstick” catch that allows SpaceX to use the same booster multiple times. As for the upper stage, SpaceX has made several design changes that support rapid reuse by simplifying systems, reducing exposed components, and streamlining how the vehicle handles fuel, heat, and control in flight. These upgrades should reduce the risk of damage and shorten turnaround time between missions. Both the upper stage and Super Heavy will also have “advanced avionics capabilities designed for high flight-rate, full reusability, and enhanced reliability,” according to SpaceX. About 60 custom avionics units are at the core of these two vehicles, integrating batteries, inverters, and high-voltage electrical distributions into single packages. Together, they deliver 9 megawatts of peak power across the rocket. 3. Enabled orbital refueling Starship V3 is the rocket SpaceX will eventually use to experiment with orbital refueling, which will be critical for missions to the Moon and beyond. No spaceflight company or agency has attempted this before. SpaceX needs to demonstrate orbital refueling with Starship V3 relatively soon, as NASA plans to use a modified version of the rocket’s upper stage as a crew lander for the Artemis program. An artist’s depiction of a Starship tanker (bottom) transferring propellant to a Starship depot (top) in low-Earth orbit. © SpaceX via NASA Starship V3 is equipped with a set of systems designed to let two Starships dock, transfer fuel, and manage that fuel safely in space. Engineers added four docking drogues to the leeward side of the upper stage, as well as propellant feed connections for ship-to-ship propellant transfer. To keep cryogenic propellants stable during transfer, the rocket has a dedicated system for managing fuel interactions with the engines during extended coasts in space. New precision radio frequency sensors will also provide accurate measurements of propellant levels in microgravity to support orbital refueling. Achieving this capability would not only enable deep-space exploration but also further reduce launch costs and extend mission lifespans. SpaceX is currently the best-positioned company to demonstrate orbital refueling within the next few years, but first it will have to validate Starship V3’s design and ramp up its launch cadence. That could take time. As we saw with Starship V2, launching a rocket of unprecedented size and power often comes with setbacks. But if Starship V3’s launch manifest proceeds smoothly, SpaceX could soon unlock a new era of spaceflight. Explore more on these topics