While SpaceX continues to test its Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Texas, Space Force officials in Florida are preparing for a first launch as early as mid-2026.

As mentioned above, the spaceflight company is also building a more advanced launchpad — Pad 2 — in another part of the Starbase site. This will be used for the 12th test flight featuring the first launch of Starship version 3, which sports various upgrades over its predecessor.

Last night, Elon Musk's rocket company announced that the first of the Super Heavy V3 boosters, Booster 18, was beginning prelaunch testing, starting with a check of the booster's redesigned propellant systems and its structural strength.