SpaceX prepares the first Starship V3 launch shortly after liftoff

SpaceX has reviewed the first launch of its third-generation Starship rocket from its headquarters in Starbase, Texas. The company is expected to try again on Friday.

It’s an important launch for the company – not only because it’s the real test of the Starship V3 upgrade kit; It also comes at a critical time for SpaceX’s financial position. The company recently filed for an IPO and is expected to go public within weeks, adding to the pressure on SpaceX to show that its next-generation rocket program is moving forward.

This launch – Starship’s 12th – will mark the first flight of Starship since the company’s last test in October 2025. SpaceX has spent several months working on the development and testing of the third version of Starship, which has faced several problems. In November, for example, one of the V3 extensions he exploded during the trial period.

The company pushed back Thursday’s launch several times and finally tried to send the rocket into space near the end of its launch window. The Star and its main rocket components were boosted, and the calculation dropped below the T-40 seconds, but problems with the different types of rocket and launchpad caused the company to repeat the calculation several times.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a post on X that “the hydraulic pin that held the (launch) tower arm has not returned,” and added that the company will test again on Friday at 5:30 pm local time if the problem “can be fixed tonight.”

The new Starship model represents a major upgrade in the vehicle’s design and performance of the company’s flagship model. One of the biggest changes was to SpaceX’s third-generation Raptor engines, which drew attention to the simple design. The third addition to the Starship is supposed to be easier for the launch platform to handle and has fewer fins.

SpaceX has also made several changes that should make this version of the Starship more reliable. For example, the new design is supposed to stop leaks from building up inside certain parts of the Starship’s surface – something that has caused problems on several previous Starship missions. The goal is to make the entire vehicle reusable, similar to the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.

This flight, if it goes as planned, will not meet all of the goals that SpaceX has set to validate the Starship V3. The company isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel or the Starship itself. Both are expected to make “soft landings” in the water – one more in the Atlantic Ocean, and the Starship in the Indian Ocean. The star also won’t fly in the exact orbit of Earth, meaning that SpaceX will have to wait for another mission or two to ensure that the upper part of the mega-rocket can deliver commercial payloads.

SpaceX needs Starship V3 to be a reliable way to launch a large space because the company has made a big bet on Starlink, which made $11 billion last year, according to the company. now-public IPO filing. SpaceX has demonstrated Starship’s ability to launch modified versions of its previously launched Starlink satellites, but has yet to put a payload into space with a new rocket.