SpaceX Starship V3 completed a test flight Friday before splashing down in the Indian Ocean and exploding as planned, according to SpaceX and media reports.
The uncrewed rocket lifted off from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, at 5:30 p.m. CT on May 22, SpaceX said. It was the 12th Starship flight test and the first using V3 vehicles.
🔥 TODAY: SpaceX has launched the upgraded Starship V3 on its debut test flight from Texas, just three weeks ahead of the company’s planned IPO.pic.twitter.com/50f88xPmxK
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) May 23, 2026SpaceX said the flight used the new Super Heavy and Starship V3 architecture, Raptor 3 engines and Pad 2. The company also said the mission deployed modified Starlink satellites to image Starship in space.
The Associated Press reported that the upgraded rocket stood 407 feet tall and carried 20 mock Starlink satellites. It travelled about halfway around the globe before reaching the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX completes largely successful test flight of its next-generation Starship rocket, deploying clutch of mock satellites and executing controlled splashdown in Indian Ocean in high-stakes debut of newly upgraded vehicle pic.twitter.com/SuyPtfuP7l
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) May 23, 2026Read: 1st Starship V3 Launch Set for May 21 From Texas
The mission achieved most major objectives, but both stages suffered engine failures. SpaceX still described the flight as a step toward future Starship development.
Elon Musk congratulated the SpaceX team on X after the launch. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman also praised the test, saying it moved the programme closer to the Moon and Mars.
