A Tesla Cybertruck drives past the SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California, US, on Monday, April 13, 2026.
Ethan Swope | Bloomberg | Getty Images
SpaceX launched its massive Starship rocket on Friday after its first launch due to technical problems the previous day.
The 90-minute launch window opened at 6:30 pm ET, and the flight took off at that time from SpaceX’s Starbase, Texas.
The Starship V3 test flight, with all of its updated systems, was a key event for SpaceX ahead of its public market debut after the company went public with its IPO earlier this week. Elon Musk’s aerospace and defense company is expected to raise about $75 billion in an IPO next month, after a $1.25 billion deal in February, when it merged with xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman flew to Starbase before the launch, and appeared in a flight suit with SpaceX crews in a live video to show off the achievements.
Before leading the space agency, Isaacman paid to lead two private SpaceX flights, in 2021 and 2024, he commanded the crew on multi-day missions around the Earth, building a close relationship with Musk.
During a test flight on Friday, SpaceX successfully sent dummy satellites into orbit, and broadcast live video of its rockets’ performance in space. However, the company did not achieve some of its Starship goals. The company missed the launch targets it had to hit to know if its renewed rocket and engines were ready to conduct safe flights to orbit and back.
The heavy first stage powering the Starship’s initial ascent failed soon after it broke apart. An anomaly then occurred during the engine relight sequence, destroying a critical section of the Superheavy aft and resulting in a loss of control.
After flying at a speed of Mach 7, the Starship ignited its two engines before plummeting towards the Indian Ocean. It then exploded after the nose of the rocket hit the water, an expected result.
SpaceX said in its IPO filing Wednesday that Starship is “designed to deliver 100 metric tons into Earth orbit in a fully reusable configuration while allowing for rapid turnaround times similar to commercial flight.” It is the 12th test flight of Starship.
The largest rocket ever built or flown, Starship is also key to SpaceX’s ability to strengthen its Starlink wireless internet business. The company said it plans to launch more satellites into orbit to add to its constellation, and provide powerful wireless internet to customers even in dense urban areas.
Last year, SpaceX launched more than 3,000 satellites on 122 Falcon 9 rockets. The Starship was designed to carry and release more satellites per mission than the smaller Falcon 9.
This system includes the Starship upper stage vehicle, Super Heavy booster and Raptor engines. The upper stage is designed to be fully reusable, and NASA is counting on SpaceX’s Starship to return astronauts to the moon by 2028.
Friday’s test flight is SpaceX’s first Starship launch in seven months, following a series of explosions and other setbacks in early 2025 that disrupted air travel due to falling debris. The company successfully carried and launched the mock-up of Starlink satellites during a test flight on Friday, but no customers or cargo.
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