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SpaceX will try again to launch its giant Starship rocket

The SpaceX Starship V3 is seen docked at on a launch pad at Starbase on May 21, 2026 in Boca Chica Beach, Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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The SpaceX Starship V3 is seen docked at on a launch pad at Starbase on May 21, 2026 in Boca Chica Beach, Texas.

On Friday, SpaceX will try to launch its giant Starship rocket again. The flight comes as the space launch firm is preparing to become a publicly traded company.

SpaceX tried to send Starship to space Thursday, but with just seconds to go, a problem with the launch pad forced them to abort. They're set to try again Friday night.

Earlier this week, SpaceX announced plans for an Initial Public Offering. Filings show just how important the Starship rocket is to the future of the business. SpaceX wants to use it to go to the moon, build AI data centers in space and more.

So far, Starship tests have had a roughly 50/50 success rate. Analysts say that if this next test flight fails, it will likely hurt the company's valuation.

This story was taken from an audio report by NPR's Geoff Brumfiel.

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