spacex targets mid-march for maiden test of revamped starship rocket, sparking buzz about Mars ambitions

DCM Editorial Summary: This story has been independently rewritten and summarised for DCM readers to highlight key developments relevant to the region. Original reporting by Tech Crunch, click this post to read the original article.

You’ll soon witness the debut of SpaceX’s upgraded Starship rocket, now expected to launch in mid-March, according to CEO Elon Musk. This third version, called Starship V3, is bigger and more powerful than its predecessors. It’s designed to carry the heavier, faster next-generation Starlink satellites and has the capability to dock with other Starships in orbit—an essential feature for future missions to the moon and Mars. The timing is critical, as SpaceX is aiming for an IPO later this year and is under political pressure to help return U.S. astronauts to the moon before the end of a potential second Trump administration.

Initially, SpaceX made strides with this new version, but a major setback occurred in November when the booster stage exploded during pressure testing. While the company described the incident as part of normal testing procedures, it hasn’t released detailed findings. Despite the challenges, SpaceX remains focused on upgrading from Starship V2, which, while successfully reaching orbit and returning booster stages, also experienced multiple technical failures and explosions.

SpaceX’s iterative development strategy—pushing systems to their limits and learning from failures—has been both a strength and a source of setbacks. One notable incident included a Starship vehicle bursting into flames during testing last June. The company’s dominance in the global launch market has largely been due to its ability to innovate quickly and absorb these kinds of failures as part of the design process.

However, competition is increasing. Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, made notable progress with its New Glenn rocket, launching twice in 2025 and landing a booster on its second flight. The company has plans for a third launch and a moon mission of its own. Although New Glenn is smaller than Starship, Blue Origin is developing a larger version to compete more directly, showing that the race to dominate space access is far from over.