Brian Wang SpaceX Starship V3 will be 20-30 meters taller with a proposed height of 140 to 150 meters. This increase in height is aimed at accommodating more propellant, thus increasing payload capacity. SpaceX could upgrade to Starship version 3 by November, 2025. It is projected that Starship V3 could have a payload capacity of approximately 200 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO) when fully reusable, and potentially more if expendable. Starship V3 is expected to have a thrust of around 10,000 tonnes force at launch, which would make it the most powerful rockets ever developed, exceeding even many of the theoretical Nova rocket variants. There is a plan for Starship V3 to demonstrate capabilities like in-orbit refueling and possibly serve as a tanker for missions to destinations requiring more extensive refueling, such as the Moon or Mars. Starlink Version 3 Should Start Deployment from Starship in a few Months Each Version 3 Starlink satellite will weigh about 1900 kg. Version 2 Mini’s weigh 575 kg. Dimensions: When deployed, V3 satellites will have a wingspan of about 60 meters, unfolded from a base of 7-8 meters, allowing for larger antennas and solar panels. Uplink: Each V3 satellite is expected to have an uplink capacity of 160 Gbps. Downlink: The downlink capacity for each satellite is planned to be 1 Terabit per second.. Total Capacity per Launch: Each Starship launch carrying V3 satellites is anticipated to add 60 Tbps of capacity to the Starlink network, which is more than 20 times the capacity added by a V2 Mini launch on Falcon 9. The version 3 SpaceX Starship could launch over 100 version 3 starlink satellites. This would be 100 Tbps of downlink capacity. The version 3 Starlink will have nearly 4 Tbps of combined RF and laser backhaul capacity, which is crucial for data transmission between satellites. Computing, Modems, Beamforming, and Switching: V3 satellites will use SpaceX’s next-generation technology in these areas for superior performance and efficiency. Latency: The satellites aim for a latency of about 5 milliseconds, made possible by being positioned at a lower orbit of 350 km. SpaceX filed a request late in 2024 with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deploy up to 29,988 satellites. This request should be approved soon. Brian Wang Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology. Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels. A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements. Categories