Image: SpaceX
SpaceX says it is now targeting the first quarter of 2026 for the debut flight of its next-generation Starship V3 vehicle, following an anomaly that occurred this week during early testing of a new Super Heavy booster at Starbase.
Earlier this week, SpaceX began prelaunch testing on the first Super Heavy V3 booster, which is set to support the company’s upgraded Starship V3 design. The program hit a setback when Booster 18 experienced an anomaly during gas-system pressure testing. SpaceX said no propellant was on the vehicle and no engines were installed at the time, and all personnel were kept at a safe distance. The site remains clear while teams investigate the root cause.
Despite the issue, SpaceX posted an update on X confirming the Starbase team still expects to have the next Super Heavy booster stacked in December. That timeline keeps the company on track with the early test schedule planned for the first Starship V3 vehicle and its associated ground systems. According to SpaceX, Starship’s twelfth flight test — the first to use the V3 design — is now firmly targeted for Q1 2026.
The shift comes just weeks after SpaceX officially retired the Starship V2 design with its eleventh flight test last month, which achieved all of its objectives. Elon Musk previously said the V3 architecture is expected to see heavy flight activity throughout 2026, with Starship V4 following in 2027.
SpaceX also recently shared a fresh look at the new Starship launch pads rising at Cape Canaveral. Kiko Dontchev, the company’s VP of Launch, said the V3 design is expected to lift off from one of these pads soon after its inaugural flight test from Starbase, Texas.
With upgraded Raptors, structural improvements, and a new Super Heavy booster family designed around higher-cadence flight, Starship V3 is set to mark the next major leap in SpaceX’s fully reusable launch system.
