In a historic mission, SpaceX has successfully launched the most powerful rocket after its eagerly-awaited test flight was postponed.
On Friday, May 22, 2026, the Starship V3 rocket lifted off from Texas after 17:30 (22:30 GMT), after SpaceX announced plans for a historic stock market debut.
Once in space, Starship successfully launched 20 dummy satellites ahead of making re-entry and an hour following a splashed down in the Indian Ocean, where it exploded as planned.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk posted, "Congratulations @SpaceX team on an epic first Starship V3 launch & landing!"
"You scored a goal for humanity," he added.
The launch came a day after its delay due to a launch-tower malfunction.
It marks one of the most significant achievements of the company’s plans.
Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman also celebrated the company’s successful flight on X with a post, writing, "One step closer to the Moon… one step closer to Mars.”
It is important to note the historic mission marked the 12th flight of a SpaceX rocket, and featured the latest design which stands 124m (407ft) high.
The debut of the Starship V3 comes a month before SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO).
