SpaceX to launch upgraded Starship V3 on May 21, 2026
SpaceX is about to launch its upgraded Starship V3 rocket for the very first time on May 21, 2026.
After a full dress rehearsal and final prep at its Texas site, the Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage are stacked and set to go.
This marks the 12th test flight for the Starship program, and you can catch all the action live on Space.com starting at 5:45pm EDT.
Starship V3 adds refueling docking ports
Starship V3 brings some cool upgrades, like docking ports for in-space refueling, key for longer missions beyond Earth.
NASA is counting on this rocket to help with its Artemis lunar program, with Artemis 3 planned for late 2027 for a docking test in low Earth orbit and Artemis 4 aiming for a Moon-surface landing in 2028.
For this test, both stages will splash down separately in the Gulf of Mexico and the Indian Ocean, moving SpaceX one step closer to deep space travel (and maybe Mars someday).