SpaceX to launch an even bigger Starship prototype

SpaceSpaceX to launch an even bigger Starship prototypeThe new third-generation Starship, dubbed V3, which is larger, more powerful and a step closer to being fully reusable, is expected to launch Thursday evening.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Starship V3 on the launch pad during a "wet" dress rehearsal.SpaceXShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 21, 2026, 8:24 AM EDTBy Denise ChowSpaceX is set to launch a new prototype of its Starship megarocket on a key test flight Thursday — one that could take astronauts back to the moon.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The test will be the 12th outing for Starship but the first launch of the new third-generation Starship, dubbed V3, which is bigger, more powerful and a step closer to being fully reusable.The rocket is scheduled to lift off from a new launchpad at SpaceX’s Starbase facility on the southern tip of Texas during a launch window that opens at 6:30 p.m. ET.Thursday’s flight will be closely watched because NASA hopes to use Starship to land its astronauts on the lunar surface. As part of NASA’s Artemis program, SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are building lunar landers that NASA could use for a planned moon landing in 2028. It aims to test one or both new vehicles in low-Earth orbit on the Artemis III mission late next year. Starship’s last test flight was seven months ago. Since then, the rocket’s booster, known as Super Heavy, and its upper stage, called Ship, have undergone extensive redesigns.Starship V3 measures 408 feet tall fully stacked, a few feet taller than its predecessor. SpaceX also added new Raptor 3 engines on Super Heavy and Ship. Together, they will be able to generate around 18 million pounds of thrust.Other upgrades included reducing the number of “grid finds” on the booster, which are features at the top that help to guide the rocket’s first stage back to Earth, and increasing the volume of Starship’s pr...