LIVE: follow SpaceX's mission with the largest rocket in the world
SpaceX carries out, this Thursday (21), another test flight of Starship, considered the largest and most powerful rocket ever built in the world. The launch is scheduled to take place at 8:30 pm Brasília time, from the Starbase base, in Texas, in the United States.
The test marks the debut of a new version of Starship after a seven-month break. The mission will be suborbital, that is, the spacecraft must leave the Earth's atmosphere, travel through space and then return to Earth for a controlled landing in the ocean.
Watch live:
Watch Starship's twelfth flight test https://t.co/wxna6dy4Lh
- SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 21, 2026
See updates:
- 7:50 pm - Launch teams gave the go-ahead for propellant loading
- 8:30 pm - Flight director says "go" for launch, but waits again
READ ALSO: Former NASA astronaut comments on the launch of Starship in an interview with CNN
The complete Starship system is approximately 124 meters high and consists of the main ship and the Super Heavy thruster, equipped with 33 Raptor engines.
According to SpaceX, the objective of the program is to develop a fully reusable system for future NASA missions to the Moon, in addition to Mars exploration projects. Elon Musk's company also intends to use Starship to launch satellites and other long-duration space missions.
What is the real purpose of Starship?
Although today's flight is just a test, Starship was created for much larger missions.
SpaceX wants to use the rocket to take NASA astronauts to the Moon in the Artemis program and, in the future, make trips to Mars. Elon Musk has also stated several times that the ultimate goal of the project is to make the colonization of the red planet possible.
The spacecraft could still be used to launch Starlink satellites, transport heavy loads and even make fast trips between different points on Earth in the future.
Remember:
Separation of the module from the crew marks the return of Artemis II to Earth; see | CNN PRIME TIME
What will be tested today?
This Thursday's flight marks the debut of the so-called "Version 3" of Starship, considered the most powerful ever built by the company.
The mission is expected to test new Raptor engines, rocket separation systems, atmospheric reentry and the release of simulated Starlink satellites during space travel.
SpaceX is also trying to prove that it can fully reuse the system in the future, something considered one of the biggest revolutions in the space industry.
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Source: CNN