SpaceX has completed key ground tests for its Starship Version 3 rocket ahead of a planned debut flight from South Texas. The upgraded vehicle will attempt in-orbit refueling experiments critical to future lunar missions. Liftoff is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19.
Engineers stacked the taller and more powerful Starship Version 3 at the launch site near the US-Mexico border. On Monday the team loaded more than 11 million pounds of methane and liquid oxygen propellants during a final countdown rehearsal. Ground crews then removed the vehicle to install flight termination hardware.
