Musk Says Starship Could Launch Six Weeks After Jan. 26 — Version 3 Targeted For Early March 2026

Elon Musk posted on Jan. 26 that SpaceX's Starship could be ready to launch within six weeks, renewing expectations that the next flight test — Flight 12 — could occur in early March 2026, possibly as soon as March 9, from SpaceX's Starbase facility in South Texas.

What Starship Is

Starship is a fully integrated, fully reusable launch system composed of a lower-stage booster called Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft called Starship. When fully stacked the system exceeds 400 feet in height and is widely described as the most powerful rocket ever built. SpaceX intends the vehicle to carry crew and cargo for missions to the Moon, under NASA's Artemis program, and ultimately to Mars.

Where the Program Stands

SpaceX conducted five Starship flight tests in 2025. The first three ended in premature failures that cut short key objectives, but the program closed the year with two successful flights in August and October. The Oct. 13, 2025 test was the last flight of that iteration, referred to as Version 2.

What to Expect Next

Flight 12 is expected to debut a new prototype, Version 3 (V3), which Musk says is slightly taller (about 408 feet) and substantially more powerful than V2. Engineers hope V3 will be the first model capable of reaching orbit and demonstrating in-space propellant transfer — a complex maneuver that would require two Starships to rendezvous, dock, and transfer hundreds of tons of super-cooled propellant. That orbital refueling capability is a critical enabler for long-duration and deep-space missions.

Timing And Official Plans

SpaceX has not published an official target date for Flight 12. Musk's informal post on X (formerly Twitter) — a photo of the rocket with the message "Starship launch in 6 weeks" — sparked industry and public speculation that testing could resume in early March. If taken literally, the six-week horizon from Jan. 26 points to the first half of March 2026.

Note: Timelines for complex rocket programs are often fluid. Weather, regulatory reviews, pad preparations and vehicle readiness can shift launch dates.

Why This Matters

Successful orbital flights and demonstrated refueling would mark major milestones for SpaceX's ambitions to provide routine, high-capacity access to space. Achieving those goals would directly support NASA's Artemis lunar objectives and Musk's longer-term vision of human missions to Mars.

Reporting note: This article consolidates public statements from Elon Musk and SpaceX flight history through late 2025. SpaceX has not released an official launch date for Flight 12.