Why Is SpaceX Launching History’s Biggest Rocket During A Fuel Crisis?

InnovationScienceWhy Is SpaceX Launching History’s Biggest Rocket During A Fuel Crisis?ByJamie Carter,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky.Follow AuthorMay 23, 2026, 07:46am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.The SpaceX Starship rocket launches from Starbase, Texas, as seen from South Padre Island on May 27, 2025. SpaceX mission control lost contact with the upper stage of Starship as it leaked fuel, spun out of control, and made an uncontrolled reentry after flying halfway around the world, likely disintegrating over the Indian Ocean, officials said. (Photo by Sergio FLORES / AFP) (Photo by SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesAs fears grow about a possible delayed oil shock linked to tensions in the Gulf, the timing of the latest launch of SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket can seem surreal. At a moment when analysts are warning about an unprecedented supply shock, with a fifth of global supply at risk, why are billionaires launching colossal rockets into space? The answer is both simpler — and more complicated — than it first appears.Starship V3 is the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built. Its successful twelfth launch on Friday, May 22, had investors watching head of SpaceX’s IPO in June, announced on Wednesday, May 20. According to multiple reports, SpaceX’s IPO valuation could reach a record-breaking $1.75 to $2 trillion.ForbesSpaceX Scrubs Starship Launch As $2 Trillion IPO NearsBy Jamie CarterRockets Don’t Run On GasolineThe optics may not be good, but the facts tell a different story. The first thing to understand is that rockets do not use the same fuels that power cars, trucks and commercial aircraft. Starship’s tanks hold about 1,500 metric tons of propellant, consisting mainly of liquid oxygen and liquid methane cooled to cryoge...