New version of Starship rocket ready for critical test flight

Space SpaceX ready to launch upgraded, more powerful Super Heavy-Starship By William Harwood William Harwood CBS News Space Consultant Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News. Read Full Bio William Harwood May 21, 2026 / 12:05 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google A new version of SpaceX's mammoth Starship rocket, featuring multiple upgrades, more powerful engines and major safety enhancements is poised for blastoff Thursday in a critical milestone for Elon Musk's rocket company.It's also a critical mission for NASA, which is counting on SpaceX to develop and deliver a flight-tested, human-rated version of the Starship upper stage to carry Artemis astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon's surface and back before the end of 2028. A new, more powerful version of SpaceX's huge Super Heavy-Starship rocket is loaded with supercold liquid methane and oxygen propellants in a prelude to launch Thursday on the program's 12th sub-orbital test flight. SpaceX With dozens of successful test flights required between now and then, NASA is hedging its bets, working with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to develop an alternative lander.The agency's Artemis III mission late next year will test rendezvous and docking procedures in low-Earth orbit using one or both landers, depending on their readiness. NASA wants to test those procedures close to home before pressing ahead with a moon landing in the Artemis IV mission.But first, SpaceX must perfect the Super Heavy-Starship launch system after 11 test flights marked by impressive successes and spectacular failures. The company says the debut of the "version 3" Starship this week will open a new chapter in the rocket's development.Using a new, beefed-up pad at SpaceX's "Starbase" launch site on the Texas Gulf coast, the 12th integrated test flight of a Super Heavy-Starship rocket is set for blastoff at 6...