A Tesla Cybertruck drives in front of the SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California, U.S. on Monday, April 13, 2026.
Ethan Swope | Bloomberg | Getty Images
SpaceX launched its giant Starship rocket on Friday after a first attempt was aborted due to technical problems the day before.
The 90-minute launch window opened at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the flight took off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas.
The test flight of Starship V3, which features all the improved systems, is a significant event for SpaceX ahead of its public market debut after publishing an IPO prospectus earlier this week. Elon Musk’s aerospace and defense company, which was valued at $1.25 billion in February when it merged with Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI, is expected to raise about $75 billion in an IPO next month.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman flew to Starbase before the launch and appeared on a livestream video in a flight suit with SpaceX employees to promote the accomplishment.
Before leading the space agency, Mr. Isaacman developed a close relationship with Mr. Musk by being paid to lead two SpaceX commercial flights in 2021 and 2024, leading crews on multi-day trips around the Earth.
During Friday’s test flight, SpaceX successfully deployed a dummy satellite into orbit, transmitting live video of the rocket’s operations from space. However, the company missed some of its goals for Starship, missing the propulsion goals that needed to be met to ensure the rocket was ready for safe flight and landing with people on board.
SpaceX said in its IPO filing Wednesday that Starship is “designed to transport 100 metric tons into Earth’s orbit in a fully reusable configuration while enabling rapid turnaround times similar to commercial aviation.” This will be Starship’s 12th test flight.
Starship, the largest rocket ever built or flown, is also key to powering SpaceX’s Starlink wireless internet service business. The company said it plans to launch more satellites into orbit to expand its constellation and provide customers with strong wireless internet even in densely populated urban areas.
Last year, SpaceX launched more than 3,000 satellites on 122 Falcon 9 rocket missions. Starship is designed to carry and release more satellites in a single trip than the smaller Falcon 9.
The system consists of a Starship upper stage vehicle, a super heavy booster, and a Raptor engine. The upper stage is designed to be completely reusable, and NASA is relying on SpaceX’s Starship to land astronauts on the moon in 2028.
Friday’s test flight will be SpaceX’s first for Starship in seven months, following an explosion and a series of other failures in early 2025 that disrupted air travel due to falling debris. The company transported a mock Starlink satellite during Friday’s test flight, which was successfully deployed, but no people or customer cargo.
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