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Following a string of explosive failures earlier in 2025, SpaceX's giant Starship rocket completed a flawless tenth flight test in August 2025, and by May 2026 had debuted an even larger "Version 3" vehicle from a new Starbase launch pad.

Which SpaceX rocket has been undergoing iterative test flights, including a major "V3" upgrade in 2026, on the path toward Mars missions?

Starship
Starship is the fully reusable two-stage rocket SpaceX is developing for missions to the Moon and Mars, and its 2025 flight successes included deploying Starlink satellite simulators during test flights. The next major milestone SpaceX is targeting is an orbital flight followed by a ship-to-ship propellant transfer demonstration between two Starships in Earth orbit.

Starship is the SpaceX rocket that has been undergoing these iterative test flights, including its major 'Version 3' upgrade debuting in 2026, as part of the company's long-term push toward missions to the Moon and Mars. It is designed as a fully reusable two-stage rocket, meaning both its booster and upper spacecraft are meant to be flown again rather than discarded after a single launch.

Falcon Heavy and New Glenn are both real, powerful rockets built by SpaceX and Blue Origin respectively, but neither one is the vehicle undergoing this specific string of test flights and the newer V3 upgrade described here, that program belongs to Starship.

SpaceX's next major milestone for Starship is a demonstration of transferring propellant from one Starship to another while both are in Earth orbit, a capability considered essential for eventually refueling a ship bound for deep space.

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