SpaceX targets 19 May for Starship V3 debut from Launch Pad 2

SpaceX announced on 12 May 2026 that it is officially targeting 19 May for the debut flight of Starship Version 3, the third-generation iteration of the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. It will be Starship’s twelfth flight overall — and the first to fly from the newly commissioned Launch Pad 2.

Version 3 brings a long list of changes over its predecessors: a stretched upper stage with more propellant volume, an upgraded Raptor engine variant, structural reinforcement informed by previous test flight failures, and improved heat-shield tile retention for the re-entry phase. SpaceX has positioned V3 as the version of Starship intended to actually carry payloads — Starlink V3 satellites, lunar Human Landing System (HLS) demonstration hardware, and ultimately Mars-bound payloads.

Success is far from guaranteed, but the cadence is the headline. From quarterly test flights in 2024 to monthly in 2026, SpaceX is iterating Starship at a tempo no other launch programme has matched.

Sources: Spaceflight Now · Space.com