NASA and SpaceX have subjected a scale model of the new Super Heavy booster to transonic and supersonic winds. These tests are intended to better predict the loads experienced during re-entry into the atmosphere, ahead of future lunar missions using Starship.
The measurements were carried out at NASA's Ames Research Center in California, with a 1.2% scale model of Super Heavy Version 3. This new variant is to serve as the basis for the Starship lunar landing system planned for Artemis III in 2027, followed by a later crewed lunar landing in 2028.
Engineers from NASA's Ames Research Center conduct transonic and supersonic wind tests on a 1.2% scale model of the Super Heavy Version 3 rocket that will launch the Starship human landing system.
Credits: NASA
The tested booster differs markedly from previous versions. In particular, it is to receive new propulsion systems and Raptor 3 engines, and its rear section loses several protective elements, including the engine skirt and the large integrated heat shield. The number of control fins also goes from four to three, each being 50% larger.
These changes alter the way air acts on the vehicle. Engineers therefore seek to measure two families of loads. Steady forces correspond to a relatively regular flow around the rocket. Unsteady forces appear when air strikes certain areas less predictably and can cause vibrations.
Two facilities were used. The transonic wind tunnel covers speeds between Mach 0.2 and Mach 1.4. A second facility reproduces supersonic flows from Mach 1.55 to Mach 2.5. The campaigns, conducted in late 2025, recorded pressures and loads exerted on the booster's surface.
NASA contributes its facilities and experience in aerodynamic testing. The agency had already used similar methods for the space shuttle, the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft. Previous tests in the same wind tunnel had led to adding aerodynamic appendages to the Artemis II launcher.
The program focuses on the first stage's behavior during its return to the launch site, where it is to be recovered and reused. Detailed results have not been published by NASA, which only says they will be used for loads analyses and guidance of the future booster.