SpaceX's new generation Starship's key maiden flight postponed, Musk responds.

date
22/05/2026
SpaceX's Starship V3 was scheduled to perform a mission on Thursday on the brand-new launch pad at the interstellar base in Texas, but during the live broadcast before the planned launch in the afternoon, a SpaceX official stated that the Starship V3 encountered a pause in the countdown process and needed time to identify the cause of the pause. It is reported that the Starship V3 has been upgraded in several aspects, such as being equipped with 33 Raptor 3 engines, which will collectively generate 18 million pounds of thrust. In addition, the Starship is equipped with multiple upgrades specifically designed for rapid launch of "Starlink" satellites and executing NASA's moon missions. Regarding the cancellation of the flight test, Musk immediately responded on social media saying, "The hydraulic piston for one of the grid fins failed to retract. If we can fix tonight, we'll try again tomorrow." The first flight of Starship V3 is considered a key milestone before SpaceX goes public, and the previous Starship V3 tests have experienced multiple delays.