SpaceX scrubs test flight of massive Starship rocket, will retry Friday

Key points

• SpaceX's new Starship V3 rocket is seen docked at the Starbase during the 12th test flight on May 21, 2026 as seen from South Padre Island in Texas.
• SpaceX scrubbed the launch of its massive Starship rocket Thursday evening, and will try again for its 12th test flight on Friday.
• A 90-minute launch window opened at 6:30 p.m. ET, on Thursday.
• During a livestream of the event, SpaceX video hosts said the company "got the vehicle totally loaded" onto a new launch pad.
• The rescheduled launch will represent the debut of Starship V3, which "is designed to deliver 100 metric tons to Earth's orbit in a fully reusable configuration while enabling rapid turnaround times akin to commercial aviation," SpaceX said in its IPO prospectus on Wednesday.