SpaceX launches Starship V3 for the first time, but loses booster on return

SpaceX launches Starship V3 for the first time, but loses booster on return Sean O'Kane 3:55 PM PDT · May 22, 2026 SpaceX has launched the upgraded third version of its Starship rocket for the first time, though the test launch did not go perfectly for Elon Musk’s spaceflight company. The 407-foot rocket — the most powerful ever built — lifted off from SpaceX’s company town Starbase, Texas, at 5:30 p.m. local time. Just a few minutes later, the upper stage ship separated from the Super Heavy booster and continued on into space. The booster pitched away from the Starship vehicle and headed back to Earth, where it was supposed to perform a simulated landing in the Gulf of Mexico. But the booster’s engines did not properly re-ignite for the sustained burn that is meant to deliver it back to the launch site. The booster then tumbled down to the water, where it likely exploded. Starship, meanwhile, lost one of its six Raptor engines as it ascended into space. The ship was still moving through space on its way to the Indian Ocean at the time this story was published. While it didn’t go exactly according to plan, this was an important test launch for SpaceX. It was the first real shakedown of the upgraded Starship V3 hardware, which has been in development for months. The company was also testing out an all-new launchpad at Starbase that it’s been developing and building for years. The test launch also comes at a historical inflection point for SpaceX as a company. Its IPO filing was made public this week, and SpaceX is expected to list on the Nasdaq in mid-June. The IPO is reportedly supposed to raise around $75 billion for SpaceX, which the company plans to use to fuel further development, massive AI ambitions, and to pay off some of the debt associated with xAI and Musk’s social media company X. (That means this could also be the last Starship test launch to happen without a stock market reaction.) SpaceX has spent years and billions of dollars developing Starship, which it sees as crucial to its mission of making life multi-planetary. The company plans to use Starship for NASA missions to the moon, and eventually Mars. But the big job it needs to perform in the near-term is delivering more advanced Starlink satellites to Earth orbit, as Starlink is the only profitable part of SpaceX’s business. This was the first Starship flight since October 2025. SpaceX had planned to attempt launching Starship V3 earlier, but one of the first upgraded boosters suffered an explosion during testing in November. SpaceX first attempted the launch on Thursday but ultimately had to delay it as a hydraulic pin on the launch tower arm refused to retract, according to Musk. This new version of Starship features SpaceX’s third-generation Raptor engines, which have more thrust and a far simpler design. The new booster is designed for faster takeoffs and easier catches by the launch tower. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Sean O'Kane Sr. Reporter, Transportation Sean O’Kane is a reporter who has spent a decade covering the rapidly-evolving business and technology of the transportation industry, including Tesla and the many startups chasing Elon Musk. Most recently, he was a reporter at Bloomberg News where he helped break stories about some of the most notorious EV SPAC flops. He previously worked at The Verge, where he also covered consumer technology, hosted many short- and long-form videos, performed product and editorial photography, and once nearly passed out in a Red Bull Air Race plane. You can contact or verify outreach from Sean by emailing sean.okane@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at okane.01 on Signal. May 27 Athens, Greece StrictlyVC Athens is up next. Hear unfiltered insights straight from Europe’s tech leaders and connect with the people shaping what’s ahead. Lock in your spot before it’s gone. Most Popular You can no longer Google the word ‘disregard’ Russell Brandom Six search engines worth trying now that Google isn’t really Google anymore Amanda Silberling Jensen Huang says he’s found a ‘brand new’ $200B market for Nvidia Julie Bort Sam Altman makes ‘mic drop’ offer to every Y Combinator startup Julie Bort Google Search as you know it is over Sarah Perez Elon Musk has lost his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI Tim Fernholz Users turn to jailbreaking their older Kindles as Amazon ends support Lauren Forristal X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseCrunchboard JobsSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct Google SearchSpotifyOuraTrump MobileMetaTech LayoffsChatGPT © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.