SpaceX launches massive Starship V3 rocket on test flight

SpaceX launched its largest and most powerful rocket, the Starship V3, on a test flight from Texas on Friday, deploying satellites before a planned explosive splashdown in the Indian Ocean [1]. The uncrewed rocket, standing 124m (407ft) tall, blasted off at 17:30 local time after a launch attempt the previous day was postponed due to a tower malfunction [1]. During the flight, it deployed 20 dummy satellites [1]. The vehicle is a two-stage, fully reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle intended as the successor to SpaceX's Falcon 9 and is designed to transport passengers and cargo to the Moon and Mars [2][3]. CEO Elon Musk celebrated the launch on social media, calling it an "epic first" for the team [1]. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman noted the flight brought the agency "one step closer to the Moon… one step closer to Mars" [1]. NASA has contracted a crewed variant of Starship as the Human Landing System for its Artemis lunar program [3]. The test marked the 12th flight of a Starship vehicle [1]. As of May 2026, the Starship program has conducted 12 launches overall, with 7 successful flights and 5 failures [3]. This iterative development approach, which began in 2012, is central to SpaceX's strategy of creating a fully reusable orbital rocket [2][5]. The company's broader goal is to reduce launch costs through reusability and mass production [3]. The rocket is powered by SpaceX's Raptor engines, which use liquid methane and liquid oxygen and are designed for reuse with little maintenance [4]. The successful test comes as SpaceX prepares for a record-breaking stock market debut, which could value the company at $1.25tn [1].