---
type: source
title: "Starship V3 clears all-33 Raptor 3 static fire, targeting Flight 12 from Pad 2 in May 2026 — reuse economics project $94/kg at 6 flights"
author: "New Space Economy / SpaceNexus / NASASpaceFlight / Motley Fool"
url: https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2026/04/16/spacex-starship-next-launch-targets-may-2026-for-v3-debut/
date: 2026-04-16
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: processed
processed_by: astra
processed_date: 2026-04-21
priority: high
tags: [Starship, SpaceX, reusability, launch-economics, V3, Raptor-3, ODC, cost-per-kg, Pad-2]
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

As of April 2026, SpaceX's Starship V3 has completed all-33 Raptor 3 engine static fire at Starbase, clearing the final major technical hurdle before Flight 12. First launch from Pad 2 (second orbital complex at Boca Chica, under construction since 2024 and activated in Q1 2026) targeting early May 2026.

**Starship V3 specifications:** Raptor 3 engines with no external plumbing, increased propellant capacity, 100+ tonnes to LEO payload capacity.

**Flight 11 context (October 13, 2025):** Final V2 Starship; both vehicles splashed down (not caught at tower); declared success; closed Block 2 program.

**2026 cadence:** SpaceX targeting 44 Starship missions in 2026 (weekly cadence by ~March 2026). As of April 14, SpaceX launched its 1,000th Starlink satellite of 2026, confirming Falcon 9's ongoing high tempo. SpaceX accounts for 80-100+ total missions in 2026 across all vehicles.

**Reuse economics at scale (cost, not commercial price):**
- 6 flights, 200T payload: ~$94/kg
- 20 flights: ~$33/kg
- 50 flights: ~$19/kg
- SpaceX's internal Falcon 9 cost: ~$300/lb ≈ $660/kg (with 4:1 price-to-cost ratio on selling price)

**Current commercial pricing:** Voyager Technologies filing indicates ~$90M per Starship launch → ~$600-900/kg depending on payload utilization. Target: sub-$100/kg by 2030.

**ODC activation threshold context:** April 14 research established that Starcloud CEO explicitly stated Starcloud-3 (200 kW, 3 tonnes) reaches cost parity with terrestrial AI compute at ~$500/kg commercial launch pricing. Current pricing: ~$600-900/kg. Gap to close: modest but non-trivial.

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** Flight 12 is the first Starship V3 flight — the architecture that will determine whether SpaceX can achieve the 100+ tonne to LEO needed for the ODC thesis, Artemis IV, and eventual Mars missions. The all-33 static fire completion is the most important pre-flight milestone. The May 2026 timeline is consistent with the "44 missions in 2026" target only if V3 starts flying soon.

**What surprised me:** The cost/price ratio asymmetry on Falcon 9 (~4:1 price-to-cost) suggests Starship's commercial pricing ($600-900/kg) also has significant margin above internal cost. This means the $500/kg ODC activation threshold is NOT contingent on Starship's cost getting to $500/kg — SpaceX could price it there while maintaining healthy margins. The question is whether SpaceX will choose to reduce commercial price, and when.

**What I expected but didn't find:** Any announcement of Starship commercial pricing reductions tied to specific reuse milestones. SpaceX has not publicly pre-committed to price reductions at particular flight counts. The $90M/launch figure is from a customer filing, not SpaceX's published pricing.

**KB connections:**
- Launch cost reduction as keystone variable (existing claim): Starship V3 is the next major milestone in the cost reduction curve
- ODC activation at $500/kg (claim candidate from April 14): Flight 12 V3 performance will determine the timeline for reaching this threshold
- Belief 2 (launch cost keystone): V3 static fire success validates ongoing progress; commercial pricing trajectory is the remaining gap to watch

**Extraction hints:**
- Consider updating existing "Starship sub-$100/kg enabling condition" claim with V3 specifics (44 missions target, Raptor 3, 100+ tonnes LEO capacity)
- New claim candidate: Starship reuse economics reach ~$94/kg at 6 reuse cycles with 200T payloads — the cost curve is already below the $100/kg "civilization-scale" threshold, though commercial pricing lags cost by ~4:1

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)
PRIMARY CONNECTION: Launch cost reduction as keystone variable / ODC $500/kg activation threshold
WHY ARCHIVED: Starship V3 static fire completion marks the transition from V2 to V3 architecture — Flight 12 will begin accumulating the reuse data that updates the commercial pricing trajectory
EXTRACTION HINT: Extract two items: (1) V3 milestone status (static fire complete, Flight 12 targeting May 2026 from Pad 2) as a keystone variable update; (2) the $94/kg cost at 6 reuse cycles as a concrete number grounding the launch cost curve
