SpaceX has canceled the test flight of its giant Starship rocket and will retry it on Friday.
Date: May 23, 2026Views:
SpaceX canceled its giant Starship rocket launch Thursday evening and will attempt its 12th test flight on Friday.
The 90-minute launch window opened at 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday. During the livestream, a SpaceX video presenter stated that the company had the spacecraft “fully loaded” onto the new launch pad.
SpaceX stated in its IPO prospectus on Wednesday that the rescheduled launch would mark the debut of Starship V3, which is “designed to deliver 100 metric tons of cargo into Earth orbit in a fully reusable configuration, while achieving turnaround times similar to commercial aviation.”
According to documents filed Wednesday, Elon Musk’s reusable rocket manufacturer has invested more than $15 billion in its Starship project. The company says Starship is key to sending more satellites into orbit and building the Starlink constellation faster than using Falcon 9 rockets. Starlink provides wireless internet service to consumers, businesses, and government agencies.
The latest version of the Starship rocket is scheduled to launch from a newly designed launch pad at SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas. Starbase is a formal corporate town, formerly known as Boca Chica.
This test flight is likely SpaceX's last chance to wow investors with a Starship launch before its IPO. Last year, SpaceX's space business generated $4.1 billion in revenue but suffered an operating loss of $657 million.
The company relies heavily on Starlink for its revenue and profits. Its interconnected business unit (primarily composed of Starlink) is projected to generate $11.4 billion in sales and $4.4 billion in operating profit by 2025. This represents 61% of the company's total sales last year, and a staggering 69% in the first quarter.
Regarding its space business, SpaceX stated in its prospectus that "its growth strategy depends on our ability to increase launch frequency and payload capacity, which in turn depends on the successful large-scale development of Starship."
Musk has long harbored ambitious goals of colonizing Mars, and he plans to use Starship rockets to send cargo and up to 100 people into orbit at a time.
NASA also hopes that Starship can serve as a lander for its Artemis 4 mission, sending astronauts to the moon. This mission is currently planned for early 2028. This would be the first time in over half a century that American astronauts have returned to the moon.
The fully assembled Starship V3 stands 408 feet tall and is equipped with new engines that can generate up to 18 million pounds of thrust, making it a more powerful rocket. In this test flight, the company will carry simulated Starlink satellites, but no astronauts or other cargo.
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