SpaceX launches most powerful Starship yet in latest test flight

Boca Chica, Texas: SpaceX targeted Friday, May 22, 2026, for the debut test flight of Starship V3 — its biggest and most powerful version of the mega rocket. The 407-foot tall vehicle lifted off from Starbase, Texas, on its 12th overall test flight.

The launch window opened at 6:30 p.m. ET.V3 features upgraded Raptor 3 engines capable of over 18 million pounds of thrust, designed to carry heavier payloads for longer missions. NASA is counting on this version of Starship to land astronauts on the moon under the Artemis program.

For this suborbital test, the vehicle carried 20 dummy Starlink satellites for release, plus two operational Starlink satellites to test hardware. SpaceX will not attempt to catch the Super Heavy booster this time; it is set to land in the Gulf of Mexico.

The launch came one day after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced the company would be going public. Thursday’s attempt on May 21 was scrubbed due to a hydraulic pin issue on the tower arm.