# SpaceX is set to launch its record-breaking, ultra-powerful Starship 3 mega-rocket in a high-stakes test vital to NASA's 2028 Moon landing mission.

*aerospace · news · 2026-05-18 · The daily Star*

## Key points

- SpaceX will launch the first Starship Version 3 rocket with upgraded Raptor 3 engines on May 19.
- The Super Heavy booster's grid fins have been reduced to three but increased in size by 50 percent.
- Starship Version 3 features a larger fuel tank and new in-orbit refuelling hardware.
- Starship 3's engines produce more power at peak than Germany's entire electrical grid.
- A NASA document reveals Artemis astronauts must dock with one or both lunar landers in orbit.

**Companies:** SpaceX, Blue Origin
**Countries:** United States

[Read the full story on The daily Star](https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/elon-musk-unleashes-historys-biggest-37172578)

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