--- title: "SpaceX just launched Starship V3 — its most powerful megarocket yet — into space for the 1st time in spectacular Flight 12 test (video)" url: https://daily.dev/posts/spacex-just-launched-starship-v3-its-most-powerful-megarocket-yet-into-space-for-the-1st-time-in-44o5bog6d source_url: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starship-v3-megarocket-first-test-flight type: article source: "Hacker News" published: 2026-05-23T19:00:09.062Z updated: 2026-05-23T19:00:39.941Z tags: ["spacex"] reading_time: 9 upvotes: 2 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # SpaceX just launched Starship V3 — its most powerful megarocket yet — into space for the 1st time in spectacular Flight 12 test (video) **[Hacker News](https://daily.dev/sources/hn)** · 9 min read · 2 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary SpaceX successfully launched Starship V3 on its first test flight (Flight 12) on May 22, 2026, from a new second pad at Starbase in South Texas. The 408-foot-tall next-generation rocket features a complete design overhaul over its V2 predecessor. Despite some hiccups — including one Raptor engine shutdown on the Super Heavy booster and one lost engine on the upper stage Ship 39 — the mission largely succeeded. The Super Heavy booster performed a planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico rather than a tower catch. Ship 39 deployed 22 payloads including 20 dummy Starlink satellites and 2 real Starlink spacecraft with imaging sensors to inspect heat shield tiles. The in-space engine relight test was skipped due to the lost engine. Ship completed reentry and a controlled ocean landing before toppling and exploding as planned. The flight is a key milestone toward NASA's Artemis program, which relies on Starship as a crewed lunar lander, with Artemis 3 targeted for mid-to-late 2027. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [SpaceX finally got exactly what it needed from Starship V2](https://daily.dev/posts/spacex-finally-got-exactly-what-it-needed-from-starship-v2-t4hc5tkxg) · Ars Technica · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [Starship flight 13 worked. Next up: catching the ship.](https://daily.dev/posts/starship-flight-13-worked-next-up-catching-the-ship--barljosar) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#spacex](https://daily.dev/tags/spacex) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/spacex-just-launched-starship-v3-its-most-powerful-megarocket-yet-into-space-for-the-1st-time-in-44o5bog6d)