Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

The 12th test launch of SpaceX’s next-generation Starship is scheduled for March 2026, marking the debut of the Starship V3 (Block 3) architecture, a more advanced and powerful version of the spacecraft, Azernews reports.

The launch had originally been planned earlier, but in November 2025, Booster 18 was damaged during testing. SpaceX is now preparing a new launch stack: Booster 19 and Ship 39, which must pass a series of critical pre-flight tests this week.

For the first time, the flight is expected to take off from the second launch pad (OLP-2, Pad 2) at Starbase in Texas. The mission profile will largely mirror previous Starship test flights, without attempting to recover the booster or spacecraft.

Elon Musk said that in 2026, SpaceX aims to “prove the full reusability of the Starship spacecraft,” which he predicts could reduce the cost of access to space by up to 100 times.

As preparations near completion at Pad 2, SpaceX has already begun preliminary work to upgrade Pad 1, reflecting the company’s long-term expansion plans for Starbase.

The 11th test flight, which took place on October 13, 2025, marked the final flight of the Starship V2. The new V3 model is not only 1.5 meters taller, but also features larger propellant tanks, updated Raptor engines with higher thrust and lower weight, and new docking ports for in-orbit refueling, a critical capability for missions beyond low-Earth orbit. According to SpaceX, Starship V3 is the first version designed with Mars missions in mind.

Despite the success of the 11th flight, Musk acknowledged that the V3 version would require “learning a lot from scratch,” as many of the spacecraft’s components and systems have been completely redesigned. SpaceX has also been experimenting with different thermal protection tiles, testing how they perform during atmospheric reentry.

Starship is central to NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the Moon, making the development of a lunar version of the spacecraft a top priority for SpaceX. The company faces competition from Blue Origin, which also holds a NASA agreement. NASA has emphasized that the lunar contractor will be selected based on speed and reliability in developing the spacecraft.

With its fully reusable design and orbital refueling capability, Starship V3 could eventually carry up to 100 passengers or massive cargo loads to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, potentially revolutionizing human space exploration.