A SpaceX Super Heavy booster carrying the Starship spacecraft lifts off on its 12th test flight at Starbase, Texas, U.S., on May 22, 2026. REUTERS/Steve Nesius
STARBASE, Texas—SpaceX completed a largely successful test flight of its next-generation Starship rocket on Friday, deploying a clutch of mock satellites and executing a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean in a high-stakes debut of the newly upgraded vehicle as Elon Musk’s company prepares to go public.
The latest uncrewed launch of Starship – designed to enable more frequent Starlink satellite launches and to send future NASA missions to the moon—achieved a key milestone for the vehicle following months of testing delays. The outcome could also boost investor confidence ahead of SpaceX’s initial public offering next month, expected to be the largest in history.
