A Tesla Cybertruck drives past the SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California, United States, Monday, April 13, 2026.
Ethan Swope | Bloomberg | Getty Images
SpaceX launched its massive Starship rocket on Friday after a first test was canceled due to technical problems a day earlier.
A 90-minute launch window opened at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the flight took off at that time from SpaceX’s facility in Starbase, Texas.
The test flight of the Starship V3, with all of its systems overhauled, was a key event for SpaceX ahead of its public market debut after the company publicly announced its IPO. prospectus earlier this week. That of Elon Musk The aerospace and defense company is expected to raise around $75 billion in an IPO next month, after being valued at $1.25 trillion in February, when it merged with xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence start-up.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman visited Starbase before the launch and appeared in a flight suit with SpaceX employees in a live video to tout the accomplishments.
Before leading the space agency, Isaacman paid to lead two private SpaceX flights, in 2021 and 2024, commanding crews on multi-day trips around Earth, forging a close relationship with Musk.
During Friday’s test flight, SpaceX successfully deployed dummy satellites into orbit and broadcast live video of its rocket operations from space. However, the company fell short of some of its Starship goals. The company missed the propulsion targets it must meet to know its revamped rocket and engines are ready to safely fly back and forth to orbit.
The super-heavy first stage that powers the Starship’s initial ascent failed immediately after separation. Anomalies then occurred during an engine relight sequence, destroying a significant part of the rear of the Superheavy and leading to a loss of control.
After flying at a speed of Mach 7, Starship ignited two of its engines before crashing vertically into the Indian Ocean. It then overturned and exploded after the rocket’s nose hit the water, an expected outcome.
SpaceX said in its IPO filing Wednesday that Starship “is designed to deliver 100 metric tons to Earth orbit in a fully reusable configuration while enabling rapid turnaround times similar to those of commercial aviation.” This is Starship’s 12th test flight.
Starship, the largest rocket ever built or flown, is also critical to SpaceX’s ability to strengthen its Star link wireless Internet service company. The company announced plans to launch more satellites into orbit to complete its constellation and provide more powerful wireless Internet to customers, even in dense urban areas.
Last year, SpaceX launched more than 3,000 satellites on 122 Falcon 9 rocket missions. The Starship was designed to carry and release more satellites per trip than the smaller Falcon 9.
The system includes the Starship upper stage vehicle, Super Heavy Booster and Raptor engines. The upper stage is meant to be fully reusable, and NASA is relying on SpaceX’s spacecraft to return astronauts to the Moon in 2028.
Friday’s test flight is SpaceX’s first for Starship in seven months, following a series of explosions and other setbacks in early 2025 that air transport disrupted due to falling debris. The company successfully transported and deployed simulated Starlink satellites during Friday’s test flight, but no people or customer cargo.
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