SpaceX Sets No-Earlier-Than May 19 for Starship V3’s First Integrated Flight Test

SpaceX is targeting no earlier than May 19, 2026, for the first launch of Starship Version 3, a major test of the company’s next-generation heavy-lift rocket that also carries weight for NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the moon. The target date was announced by SpaceX and reported by Space.com on May 12.

The test flight would lift off from SpaceX’s Starbase site in South Texas during a roughly 90-minute window that opens at 5:30 p.m. Central, or 6:30 p.m. Eastern, on May 19. If it flies then, it would be Starship’s 12th integrated flight test overall, combining the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage, and the first mission to use Version 3 hardware.

Before setting the date, SpaceX completed a full-stack launch rehearsal, also known as a wet dress rehearsal, in which the company runs a flight-like countdown and loads propellant into the vehicle. In a post on X reproduced by Space.com, SpaceX said: “Launch rehearsal complete. During a flight-like countdown, more than 5,000 metric tonnes (11+ million pounds) of propellant were loaded on the fully stacked Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles for the first time.”

Version 3 is a revised and slightly taller Starship design, reported at about 408 feet, or 124.4 meters, compared with earlier versions. It uses SpaceX’s upgraded Raptor 3 engines, and recent preparations have also included a 33-engine static fire of the Super Heavy booster, according to Space.com’s reporting on the launch campaign.

Starship is the fully reusable launch system SpaceX is developing for heavy cargo missions, satellite deployment and, eventually, crewed missions beyond Earth orbit. The program is also important to NASA: The agency chose a Starship-derived vehicle in 2021 as the Human Landing System for Artemis, its moon exploration program. As with other Starship tests, however, May 19 is a target date, not a guarantee; SpaceX schedules are typically listed as “no earlier than” and can change for technical or regulatory reasons.