SpaceX has assembled its first full Starship Version 3 rocket at Starbase in South Texas and says it has completed a fueling rehearsal ahead of the upgraded vehicle’s first flight test.
Crews placed the Starship upper stage atop its Super Heavy booster on May 9, 2026. The assembled rocket stands about 408 feet tall, a few feet taller than the previous configuration.
SpaceX said its May 11 rehearsal loaded more than 5,000 metric tons, or more than 11 million pounds, of propellant into the two stages during a flight-like countdown. The rocket uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen.
The upcoming mission would be Starship’s 12th full-scale flight test and its first since October 2025.
Changes to the engines and booster
V3 introduces Raptor 3 engines on both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage. SpaceX says the engine redesign provides higher thrust and simplifies integration with the vehicles. Those intended improvements have yet to be demonstrated in flight on the new configuration.
The booster also has a revised hot-staging structure and three modified grid fins, replacing the four-fin arrangement used on earlier versions. Hot staging involves igniting the upper-stage engines before the stages separate. The grid fins help steer Super Heavy during its descent through the atmosphere.
The changes affect propulsion, stage separation and recovery, all of which require testing on the revised vehicle. SpaceX has previously caught a returning Super Heavy booster with the launch tower’s mechanical arms; returning and catching the Starship upper stage remains a separate development goal.
Ground testing and launch preparations
The fueling rehearsal followed engine tests on both stages. SpaceX said it had completed a full-duration, full-thrust static fire involving Super Heavy’s 33 engines. A static fire runs the engines while the vehicle remains secured on the ground.
A fueling rehearsal tests propellant loading and countdown operations without a launch. It allows teams to check how the vehicle and ground equipment work together, but does not demonstrate how the rocket will perform during ascent, separation or reentry.
Maritime warning notices reportedly indicated a possible May 19 launch attempt. That planning window remained tentative, with final flight-safety preparations and a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration also reported to be outstanding.
The remaining vehicle work included preparations for the flight safety system, which can terminate the flight if the rocket deviates from its permitted trajectory.
Orbital refueling and lunar missions
V3 is intended to support further development of spacecraft-to-spacecraft propellant transfer in orbit. SpaceX’s planned lunar mission architecture uses tanker launches to supply propellant before a mission vehicle travels onward to the Moon.
Developing that capability is required before Starship can support NASA’s Artemis lunar landing plans. NASA is working with SpaceX on a Starship-derived Human Landing System to carry astronauts between lunar orbit and the surface.
That architecture requires repeated launches, orbital rendezvous and the transfer and storage of cryogenic propellants.
