SpaceX Prepares to Launch Next-Generation Starship, Tallest and Most Powerful Rocket Ever Built

SpaceX will launch Starship V3, the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built, as early as Tuesday, May 19. Standing 407 feet (124 meters) tall — taller than a football field and about 85 feet (26 meters) taller than NASA's Space Launch System — the rocket will undergo its maiden voyage in a suborbital test flight. The vehicle features significant upgrades including new Raptor 3 engines and will lift off from a newly designed launchpad. SpaceX aims to demonstrate capabilities needed for its goal of landing humans on the moon for NASA in 2028.

During the hour-long test flight, the Starship spacecraft will detach from the Super Heavy booster, which will return to Earth for a water landing in the Gulf of Mexico. The spacecraft will deploy 22 Starlink simulator satellites and test a deliberately compromised heat shield by measuring aerodynamic loads with one tile intentionally removed. The vehicle will also practice relighting a Raptor engine in space before performing a controlled splash landing. SpaceX has experienced setbacks with previous Starship tests, but recent flights in August and October 2025 demonstrated success, providing confidence for this latest iteration's capabilities.