NASA plans on launching the newest and most advanced version of SpaceX Starship, marking the first time we see the upgraded rocket. Former NASA astronaut and President of Leading Edge Enterprises, Charles Camarda, joins FOX Weather to discuss the mission and the newest technology NASA is using during the flight.
BOCA CHICA, Texas – SpaceX is set to launch the twelfth test flight of Starship on Thursday evening, debuting a powerful and heavily upgraded version of the massive rocket as the company pushes toward future moon missions under NASA’s Artemis program.
The anticipated test flight is debuting the next generation Starship, the most powerful version yet of the megarocket to date. Super Heavy vehicles are powered by the next evolution of the Raptor Engine, one of the most advanced rockets ever built, and launching from a newly designed pad at Starbase. Safe to say, this latest test launch marks another major step in SpaceX’s ambitious future in spaceflight.
SpaceX’s new Starship V3 rocket is seen docked at the Starbase during the 12th test flight on May 21, 2026 as seen from South Padre Island in Texas.
(RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)
The primary goal of the Starship test flight is to demonstrate these new upgrades in space for the first time, aimed at enabling full and rapid reuse of the rocket system.
The mission will test the upgraded Super Heavy booster and Starship vehicle through launch, stage separation, operations in space, and reentry as SpaceX continues developing a fully reusable rocket system in preparation for the next phases of the Artemis program.
NASA’S ARTEMIS PROGRAM: PAVING THE WAY FOR HUMANKIND’S RETURN TO THE MOON AND BEYOND
SpaceX’s Starship was selected by NASA to serve as a commercial lunar lander as part of the agency’s effort to return humans to the moon, with test flights like Thursday’s playing a critical role in the continued development of the highly advanced rocket system as it pushes the boundaries of modern spaceflight.
This test flight is one of several launches in what has been a busy month of May for SpaceX, with more missions planned before the month wraps up. Let’s take a look at how trading on prediction markets anticipate SpaceX’s final May launch total.
In addition to Thursday’s test flight, SpaceX has four more Starlink missions planned before the end of the month as the company gears up for an increasingly aggressive summer launch schedule and continued development of its next-generation spaceflight systems.
