SpaceX Completes Starship V3 Launch Rehearsal

SpaceX completed a successful launch rehearsal Monday for its Starship Version 3 vehicle, the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built, setting the stage for the system's 12th test flight as early as Friday from Pad 2 at Starbase in South Texas.

The company loaded more than 5,000 metric tons of supercooled liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellant into the fully stacked rocket, designated Ship 39 atop Booster 19, during the flightlike countdown. The test validated fueling systems, plumbing, software and ground support equipment without engine ignition. Standing 407 feet tall, the vehicle surpasses NASA's Space Launch System by about 85 feet and features significant upgrades, including Raptor 3 engines with increased thrust, redesigned grid fins on the booster for landing stability, improved fuel transfer systems and a higher propellant capacity.

The launch window opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT, pending regulatory approvals and weather. SpaceX described the flight as a suborbital demonstration of the redesigned architecture's core functions, incorporating lessons from prior tests. The Super Heavy booster will separate, flip and perform a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico...