{
  "id": 17508,
  "title": "NASA, SpaceX Advance Wind Tunnel Tests for Starship Rocket",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/nasa-spacex-advance-wind-tunnel-tests-for-starship-rocket",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-07-31T18:39:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "NASA",
    "slug": "nasa",
    "url": "https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/artemis-campaign-development-division/human-landing-system-program/nasa-spacex-advance-wind-tunnel-tests-for-starship-rocket/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NASA and SpaceX are advancing wind tunnel tests for the Starship rocket, a crucial step in preparation for the Artemis III mission slated for next year. At NASA Ames Research Center in California, engineers have been conducting transonic and supersonic wind tests on a 1.2% scale model of the Super Heavy Version 3 rocket, which will launch the Starship human landing system. These tests are part of NASA's broader efforts to develop the Starship Human Landing System (HLS) for the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027, and a subsequent crewed lunar landing in 2028. The Super Heavy Version 3 booster is a key component of SpaceX's Starship launch system, and this testing phase builds upon earlier experiments conducted at NASA Ames in 2024.",
  "summary": "NASA and its industry partners are preparing for next year’s Artemis III demonstration mission by completing new wind tunnel tests on SpaceX’s Super Heavy Version 3 rocket booster. The tests, conducted at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, focused on better understanding the extreme aerodynamic forces the rocket can experience during re-entry. The […]",
  "key_points": [
    "NASA and SpaceX advancing wind tunnel tests for Starship rocket.",
    "Transonic and supersonic tests on 1.2% scale model at NASA Ames.",
    "Tests part of Artemis III mission preparation for 2027 lunar landing."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}