SpaceX targets May 19 launch for Starship Version 3 debut

Wednesday 13 May 2026 - 13:40

By: Dakir Madiha

SpaceX targets May 19 launch for Starship Version 3 debut

SpaceX is aiming for 19 May to conduct the first flight of Starship Version 3 from its Starbase facility in Texas. The mission, identified as Flight 12, will mark the debut of the upgraded launch system and the first use of the newly constructed Launch Pad 2, representing a major milestone in the company’s next-generation heavy launch program.

Preparations accelerated after a full launch rehearsal in which the fully assembled vehicle was loaded with more than 5,000 metric tons of propellant. Earlier this month, SpaceX also completed a successful static fire test involving all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy V3 booster, clearing another major technical step before liftoff.

Starship Version 3 introduces substantial engineering upgrades across the rocket. The new Raptor 3 engines generate higher thrust while reducing engine mass through design simplification. Sea-level engines now produce around 250 metric tons of thrust compared with 230 in the previous generation, while vacuum engines reach roughly 275 metric tons. The full launch system stands about 124 meters tall and is designed to carry payloads of up to 150 metric tons into orbit in a fully reusable configuration.

The upcoming mission will follow a suborbital profile similar to previous test flights. SpaceX does not plan to recover either the Super Heavy booster or the upper-stage vehicle during this launch. The booster is expected to perform a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico several minutes after liftoff, while the upper stage will target a landing zone in the Indian Ocean roughly one hour later.

SpaceX also plans to deploy 22 Starlink simulator satellites during the mission, nearly doubling the payload count of earlier test flights. Two of the satellites will carry cameras intended to inspect the spacecraft’s heat shield during atmospheric reentry, part of broader efforts to validate rapid reusability for future missions.

The upgraded Starship system remains central to NASA’s long-term lunar and Mars ambitions under the Artemis program. Future milestones include orbital propellant transfer capabilities required for deep-space missions and crewed lunar landings. NASA officials view these tests as critical steps toward building reusable exploration systems capable of supporting sustained operations beyond Earth orbit.