SpaceX Preparing for Starship Launch as Evercore Issues Bullish Outlook SpaceX is set to attempt its 13th test flight of the Starship rocket no earlier than Thursday, marking a pivotal moment in the company’s development of its most advanced launch vehicle. The mission, scheduled to launch from Starbase, Texas, around 6:45 p.m. EDT, will be the second test of Starship’s Version 3 design, a larger and more powerful iteration that debuted less than two months ago. The previous launch in May encountered significant challenges, including heat damage to the Super Heavy booster during separation and engine failure during its return attempt, resulting in the loss of the booster. The Starship program has been a cornerstone of SpaceX’s long-term vision, enabling heavy-lift launches, satellite deployment, and future missions to the moon and Mars. Since its initial testing in 2023, the vehicle has undergone continuous refinement, with the latest version aiming to address past technical hurdles. The upcoming flight will be closely watched as a critical step toward achieving operational readiness. Meanwhile, investment bank Evercore ISI has taken a bullish stance on SpaceX, initiating coverage of the company with an Outperform rating and a $230 price target. This target implies a potential 65% upside from the stock’s recent closing price of $139.14. The analyst, Kutgun Maral, highlighted SpaceX’s transformative potential, describing the company as “an extraordinary entity on a real path to reshaping the future of humanity.” Maral emphasized SpaceX’s vertically integrated model, which has leveraged reusable, low-cost launch technology to establish a near-monopoly on orbital access. This advantage has been used to build Starlink into a scalable, cash-generating broadband network and to pivot toward AI infrastructure.#spacex #evercore_isi #starship #starbase_texas #kutgun_maral
