SpaceX is targeting mid-March for the first test of the Starship rocket

The delayed first test of SpaceX’s upgraded Starship rocket is now scheduled for mid-March, according to post from CEO Elon Musk on his social media site X.

This third version of the Starship, or V3, is larger and more powerful. Most importantly, the company plans to use Starship V3 to launch the next generation Starlink satellites, which can run faster but are heavier and larger. It is the first type of rocket that is supposed to put other Starships in Earth orbit, the ability that the company needs to reach the moon or Mars.

This all comes as SpaceX is rushing to an IPO later this yearand under pressure from the Trump administration to return the US astronaut to the surface of the moon before the end of his second term. Star, the most powerful rocket ever built, is currently the most important part of NASA’s mission to achieve that goal.

SpaceX is making progress on launching Starship V3 by the end of 2025. But in November, the booster exploded during the test itself. they blew up the entire side of the iron rocket. The company said it was conducting a “gas pressure test” when the explosion occurred, but did not elaborate on what went wrong.

The company has been hoping to move on from the second version of Starship, which he was a mixed bag. It was able to reach orbit with Starship V2, deploy similar models of the next-generation Starlink satellites, and hold several booster sessions after returning to the launch pad.

But Starship V2 also encountered several explosions and obstacles of its own. Some of that was due to SpaceX’s development strategy, which involves pushing test vehicles to — or beyond — their limits and iterating based on what the company learns. Some were unexpected, such as when one of the Starship vehicles that sits on top of the extra stage burst into flames during this time. test on the ground last June.

SpaceX has come to dominate the global market over the past decade, and it’s counting on Starship to continue its dominance. But competition is growing at the edges. Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin launched its first mega-rocket, called New Glenn, for the first time in January 2025 and. again in November. The company launched its first commercial investment for NASA on this second mission and also completed the first landing of its booster stage.

Blue Origin is preparing for the third launch of New Glenn at the end of February and it hopes to send its own moon to the moon after that. Although New Glenn is smaller than Starship, Blue Origin revealed late last year it is creating a larger version of a vehicle that directly competes with SpaceX’s heaviest rocket.