Elon Musk’s Biggest Rocket Yet Set To Launch On May 20: All You Need To Know

Elon

Musk-owned space agency SpaceX is set to make another major milestone.The US-based space company is gearing up to launch its massive Starship rocket on May 20. This will be the 12th test flight of the world’s largest rocket and the first one since October 2025. The launch is expected to take place from Starbase in South Texas, US. "Starship’s twelfth flight test will debut the next generation Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, powered by the next evolution of the Raptor engine and launching from a newly designed pad at Starbase. The launch is targeted as early as Tuesday," the Elon Musk-owned company posted on X.

For Indian viewers, the lift-off is scheduled around 4:00 AM IST, with a live webcast starting roughly 45 minutes before launch on SpaceX’s official channels."A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 45 minutes before liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the X TV app. As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to check in here and stay tuned to our X account for updates," SpaceX said in a blogpost.'Jesus-Level Technology': Elon Musk Says Neuralink Blindsight Chip Will Help Blind People See Again

According to the company, this upcoming mission is important because it will test the next-generation version of Starship and the Super Heavy booster. These upgraded vehicles come with a more advanced version of the Raptor engine and several design changes aimed at improving performance and reusability.The main goal of this test is to see how the new hardware performs in a real flight environment. SpaceX has redesigned key parts of the rocket based on lessons learned from previous launches. The American space platform is working towards making Starship fully reusable, which could seriously reduce the cost of space travel in the future.The latest version of Starship is also designed for more ambitious missions, including carrying astronauts to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis programme. One of its major capabilities includes mid-space refuelling, which allows the rocket to travel deeper into space.The fully integrated system includes a 236-foot Super Heavy booster and a 171-foot upper-stage spacecraft, powered by 33 Raptor engines. During the test, the booster is expected to land in the Gulf of Mexico, while the mission may also deploy more than 20 Starlink satellites.