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iss072e220043 (Nov. 19, 2024) --- The launch plume from the SpaceX Starship 6 rocket after it lifted off from the company's Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas is pictured from the International Space Station.
Photo: NASA/Don Pettit | Public domain | Wikimedia Commons

SpaceX To Launch Upgraded Starship In Critical Version 3 Test Flight

Written by TNNBot on

SpaceX will launch an upgraded "version 3" Super Heavy-Starship in a critical test flight Thursday, May 21, 2026 at about 5:30 p.m. Central from Starbase on the Texas Gulf Coast.[1]

The flight is the 12th integrated Starship test and the first to use SpaceX's reinforced second launch pad.[1] SpaceX plans a controlled splashdown of the Super Heavy booster in the Gulf of Mexico and a Starship upper stage sub-orbital flight that will end in the Indian Ocean about 65 minutes after liftoff.[1] The mission will carry 22 Starlink satellite simulators, with the last two used to image and assess Starship's heat shield for potential return-to-launch-site missions.[1] NASA is relying on a flight-tested, human-rated Starship upper stage for Artemis lunar landings by the end of 2028 and is funding a Blue Origin lander as a hedge.[1]

Earlier integrated Starship flights sometimes damaged launch infrastructure, and SpaceX said the reinforced pad should reduce the maintenance needed between tests.[1] SpaceX is also using this flight to demonstrate recovery and heat-shield inspection techniques that will be critical before the vehicle can carry astronauts.[1]

  1. CBS News
Space & Aerospace U.S. Infrastructure & Technology
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📌 Key Facts

  • Launch of the upgraded "version 3" Super Heavy-Starship is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2026, at about 6:30 p.m. ET from Starbase on the Texas Gulf Coast.
  • This will be the 12th integrated Starship test flight and the first using a reinforced second launch pad designed to require less refurbishment between flights.
  • SpaceX plans a controlled splashdown of the Super Heavy booster in the Gulf of Mexico and a Starship upper-stage sub-orbital flight to an Indian Ocean splashdown about 65 minutes after liftoff.
  • The mission will deploy 22 Starlink satellite simulators, with the last two used to image and assess Starship’s heat shield performance for future return-to-launch-site missions.
  • NASA is relying on a flight-tested, human-rated Starship upper stage for Artemis lunar landings by the end of 2028 and is also funding a competing lander from Blue Origin as a hedge.

📰 Source Timeline (1)

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May 21, 2026
4:05 AM
New version of Starship rocket ready for critical test flight
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