SpaceX is preparing to send its Starship megarocket back to the launchpad in mid-March, assuming testing and preparations proceed as planned.

Elon Musk announced on Sunday, Jan. 25, that the company aims to conduct Starship’s next test flight in about six weeks. The mission will mark the 12th test flight of the massive rocket system and, notably, the first launch of the upgraded and more powerful “Version 3” (V3) design.

Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, is central to SpaceX’s long-term vision of enabling human settlement on Mars. The fully reusable launch system consists of two stages: the Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship, or “Ship.” Both stages are powered by SpaceX’s Raptor engines and are designed to return and fly again.

Since its first flight in April 2023, Starship has completed 11 suborbital test missions, including five in the past year alone. The two most recent launches, in August and October, were considered fully successful. However, preparations for Flight 12 faced a setback in November when the Super Heavy booster initially assigned to the mission suffered structural damage during ground testing, prompting SpaceX to prepare a replacement.

Flight 12 will introduce Starship V3, which is slightly taller than the previous version but significantly more capable. Standing about 408 feet tall, the new variant can deliver more than 100 tons of payload to low Earth orbit—nearly three times the capacity of the V2 version. This leap in performance is largely due to the debut of the new Raptor 3 engine, which will fly for the first time on the upcoming mission.

The test flight is seen as a major milestone for SpaceX. Starship V3 is the first version of the vehicle designed with Mars missions in mind. If this and subsequent tests successfully demonstrate critical capabilities such as reaching orbit and performing in-space refueling, SpaceX could attempt to send a small fleet of uncrewed Starship V3 spacecraft to Mars as early as later this year, according to Musk. (ILKHA)