Starship

Preview: NASA to unveil Artemis 3 crew, provide updates on mission

June 9, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission will be a low Earth orbit rendezvous between the Orion spacecraft and one or both of the Human Landing System landers: Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 and SpaceX’s Starship.

FAA requires SpaceX-led mishap investigation before resumption of Starship launches

May 27, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The Federal Aviation Administration made the determination after analyzing the results of Starship Flight 12, which took place on Friday, May 22.

Musk praises “epic” Super Heavy-Starship launch

May 23, 2026 William Harwood

The Starship upper stage was equipped with six third-generation Raptor engines and one of three optimized for operating in vacuum shut down early during the climb to space. The flight computer kept the other five engines running longer than originally planned to make up for the shortfall, putting the craft on an acceptable sub-orbital trajectory.

Launch preview: SpaceX tries again for first launch of its Starship Version 3 rocket

May 21, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission will see the debut of several upgrades to the launch vehicle, including redesigned engines. Liftoff from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas, is scheduled during a window that opens at 5:30 p.m. CDT (6:30 p.m. EDT / 2230 UTC).

SpaceX targets May 19 for debut of Starship Version 3, Launch Pad 2

May 12, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission will test a host of changes made to both the launch vehicle and the launch infrastructure as SpaceX prepares to support the Artemis 3 mission in 2027.

NASA Administrator teases further Artemis program updates in one-on-one interview

March 14, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The conversation took place amid the flight readiness review for the Artemis 2 mission, which is currently set to launch no earlier than April 1, 2026, pending work being completed in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

NASA inspector general assesses agency’s management of moon lander risk

March 10, 2026 William Harwood

NASA’s Office of Inspector General said that while NASA is working to “mitigate and prevent hazards” associated with lunar landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin, “there are currently gaps in the agency’s approach, including in its testing posture and crew survival analyses,” including what might happen after a catastrophic but non-fatal event.