Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
It’s been a while since we last saw the giant Starship take off, and for some time it felt like things had gone a bit quiet. But that calm period is about to end. SpaceX is moving much faster than many people expected this year, and just recently they did something with Starship that clearly shows the next launch is closer than we thought. In this video, we’re going to break down exactly what happened, and what it tells us about how soon Starship could be flying again.
Before we get into the details, make sure to subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss future updates on Starship and everything SpaceX is working on.
It’s been only one week into 2026, and we’re already seeing that SpaceX is not playing around this year. Before most people even got back into their routines, the company quietly rolled out one of the biggest milestones in the Starship program so far: they stacked the Super Heavy booster for Starship Flight 12. And this isn’t just another routine step. This stack marks the start of a completely new phase for Starship.
The booster that was stacked is Booster 19, and it’s part of what SpaceX internally treats as the Version 3 generation of Starship hardware. This matters, because Version 3 is the first version that’s not just about learning how to fly and survive, but about actually pushing toward orbital operations. Up until now, every Starship flight has still been, in one way or another, a stepping stone. Flight 12 is where those stepping stones start to connect.
It’s been a while since we last saw the giant Starship take off, and for some time it felt like things had gone a bit quiet. But that calm period is about to end. SpaceX is moving much faster than many people expected this year, and just recently they did something with Starship that clearly shows the next launch is closer than we thought. In this video, we’re going to break down exactly what happened, and what it tells us about how soon Starship could be flying again.
Before we get into the details, make sure to subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss future updates on Starship and everything SpaceX is working on.
It’s been only one week into 2026, and we’re already seeing that SpaceX is not playing around this year. Before most people even got back into their routines, the company quietly rolled out one of the biggest milestones in the Starship program so far: they stacked the Super Heavy booster for Starship Flight 12. And this isn’t just another routine step. This stack marks the start of a completely new phase for Starship.
The booster that was stacked is Booster 19, and it’s part of what SpaceX internally treats as the Version 3 generation of Starship hardware. This matters, because Version 3 is the first version that’s not just about learning how to fly and survive, but about actually pushing toward orbital operations. Up until now, every Starship flight has still been, in one way or another, a stepping stone. Flight 12 is where those stepping stones start to connect.
