Here's what's launching May 11–17: SpaceX's upgraded Starship V3 is targeting its first flight Friday, while a busy week also features a cargo run to the space station and a flurry of Chinese missions. | Published: May 11, 2026 Starship V3 — Ship 39 atop Booster 19 — stands on the newly commissioned Pad 2 at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, in this image shared by SpaceX on X on May 9, 2026. Credit: SpaceX Mission Highlight: Starship Flight 12 SpaceX is targeting Friday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m. EST for the 12th flight test of its Starship megarocket — the first for the new V3 configuration and the inaugural launch from the newly completed Pad 2 at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. V3 is a significant step up from the Block 2 vehicles that flew test flights 9 through 11. According to a SpaceX vehicle summary released in August 2025, the V3 booster carries 400 more tons of propellant than V2 and produces 1,140 more tons of liftoff thrust.…