SpaceX launched its biggest and most powerful Starship yet on Friday from Starbase, Texas—an upgraded V3 version built for NASA’s Artemis Moon plans. The flight sent 20 mock Starlink satellites into space and marked a new chapter for the rocket after last-minu
A Starship rose from the southern tip of Texas on Friday, climbing into the bright dawn on a mission designed to be harder, stronger, and more capable than the versions that came before.
SpaceX’s upgraded mega rocket—its third-generation Starship dubbed V3—took off from Starbase near the Mexican border on May 22, 2026, after a failed effort the night before. The launch attempt on Thursday was thwarted by last-minute pad issues. This time, the countdown held.
The flight was also SpaceX’s 12th test flight of the rocket that Musk is building to eventually get people to Mars—though. for now. the moon is the immediate target. NASA is counting on Starship as part of Artemis. and the upgraded vehicle made its debut just two days after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced he’s taking the company public.
On this test run, the rocket carried 20 mock Starlink satellites, meant to be released halfway around the world. For all the engineering language around this flight. the practical meaning is simple: SpaceX is pushing to prove the redesigned hardware can lift. steer. and carry out mission steps under real conditions.
The new Starship stands out in size and power. At 407 feet (124 meters). it is taller than the older Starship lines by several feet—more than 1 meter—and it packs more engine thrust. SpaceX’s revamped booster uses fewer but bigger and stronger grid fins for steering it back to Earth following liftoff. and it has a larger and more robust fuel transfer line to feed the 33 main engines. The fuel line is described as the size of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 first-stage booster.
The spacecraft itself is also upgraded with more of nearly everything: more cameras. more navigation and computer power. and docking cones for future rendezvous and moon missions. Starship is intended to be fully reusable. with giant mechanical arms at the launch pads built to catch returning rocket stages. But for this trial run, nothing was being recovered.
The redesigned first-stage booster ended its journey in the Gulf of Mexico. The spacecraft and its satellite demos ended in the Indian Ocean.
For years, SpaceX tests have carried the risk of dramatic outcomes. The company was trying to avoid the fireworks it experienced during back-to-back launches last year. when midair explosions rained wreckage down on the Atlantic. Earlier flights also ended in flames. This time. the goal was to move forward without that kind of disruption—by redesigning the vehicle for both performance and durability.
The stakes are not only technical. NASA is paying SpaceX billions of dollars—and also Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin—to provide the lunar landers used to land Artemis astronauts on the moon. The two companies are scrambling to be first.
Blue Origin’s lander. Blue Moon. has yet to lift off. though a prototype is being readied for a moonshot later this year. NASA is still laying out its timeline: April’s successful lunar flyaround was followed by a docking trial run in orbit around Earth planned for next year. with four astronauts. For the Artemis III mission, astronauts will practice docking their Orion capsule with Starship, Blue Moon, or both.
A moon landing by two astronauts—Artemis IV—could follow as soon as 2028. using either Starship or Blue Moon. whichever lander is safer and ready first. It would be NASA’s first lunar landing with a crew since 1972’s Apollo 17. The plan this time is a moon base near the lunar south pole, staffed by astronauts as well as robots.
While NASA’s schedule moves through its own milestones, SpaceX is also already looking farther out. The company is taking reservations for private flights to the moon and Mars on Starship.
California businessman Dennis Tito—the world’s first space tourist—signed up 3 1/2 years ago for a flight around the moon. The timing is uncertain. This week. another wealthy space tourist. Chinese-born bitcoin investor Chun Wang. announced he will fly to Mars on Starship’s first interplanetary mission. Wang previously chartered a SpaceX polar flight in a Dragon capsule last year. and. with his hand-picked crew. became the first to orbit above the north and south poles. No price tag or date was revealed for his Mars cruise.
At Starbase, the test flight marked what SpaceX is trying to make routine: pushing a rocket that’s designed to go beyond Earth, piece by piece—one redesigned version, one risky launch window, and one unrecovered trial step at a time.
SpaceX Starship V3 Starbase Artemis NASA Blue Origin Blue Moon lunar lander test flight mock Starlink satellites Elon Musk