SpaceX launches most powerful Starship to date in major test flight

Published: 23 May 2026

Anna Zhadan
Contributor

SpaceX has launched its largest and most powerful Starship in history on a test flight, the version NASA hopes will eventually land astronauts on the moon.

The redesigned Starship V3 rocket blasted off from Texas on Friday, carrying 20 dummy Starlink satellites that were deployed midway through the flight. The hour-long mission ended with the spacecraft reaching its destination, the Indian Ocean, where it splashed down before erupting in flames upon impact. This was not unexpected, according to SpaceX.

"Congratulations @SpaceX team on an epic first Starship V3 launch & landing!" Musk wrote on X. "You scored a goal for humanity."

The launch was originally supposed to take place on Thursday, but it got postponed due to a launch-tower malfunction.

The mission achieved most of its objectives, but it was not without hiccups. The rocket suffered engine issues during both stages, although the test was still viewed as largely successful.

Starship is designed to be fully reusable, but during this test flight, nothing was recovered. The booster fell into the Gulf of Mexico, while the spacecraft and its dummy satellites splashed down in the Indian Ocean.

This marks Starship’s 12th test flight, featuring an updated design standing 407 feet (124 metres) tall, several feet taller than previous versions.

Musk hopes the rocket will eventually bring people to Mars, though SpaceX is currently preparing Starship for NASA's Artemis III moon mission in 2027. NASA has awarded SpaceX multiple contracts worth billions of dollars to return humans to the moon.

NASA also pays Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to develop a lunar lander for future Artemis missions. It has yet to lift off, although the company is planning an uncrewed landing near the moon’s south pole by late 2026.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman was present for the launch and congratulated the team.

"One step closer to the Moon… one step closer to Mars," he posted on X.

The launch comes just days after SpaceX officially filed its S-1 registration statement for a planned IPO that could value the company at around $1.75 trillion. This could become the largest IPO in Wall Street history.