Elon Musk’s SpaceX is preparing for the biggest IPO in history, and its next-generation Starship vehicle may be the key to its sky-high valuation.
At 408 feet tall, the fully reusable Starship V3 looms higher than any previous version. It can carry a payload of up to 100 metric tons, a significant increase from the 35 metric tons that the V2 could carry. It also sports 33 new Raptor 3 engines that provide 18 million pounds of force at liftoff.
Yet, what may be more impressive than the vehicle’s specs is what it is meant to accomplish. The V3 will serve as the foundation for the myriad businesses that are helping fuel SpaceX’s eye-popping $1.7 trillion valuation, said Chad Anderson, the founder of VC firm Space Capital and an early SpaceX investor.
Everything from Starlink’s satellite internet business and its cell phone ambitions to its plans for orbital data centers are based on the V3, said Anderson.
“This next-generation vehicle is what enables all of these future businesses,” he told CNBC.
