Could SpaceX launch a new design of Starship in January? Here's what to know about a mission Elon Musk's company refers to as flight 12.

Flight 12 will try to extend that run of success while also breaking in the new "Version 3" of Starship. Among other modifications, this variant is a bit taller than its predecessors and will also be the first to employ SpaceX's new Raptor 3 engine.

Concerns from rivals like Viasat and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin range from radio interference and orbital dominance to potentially harming the Earth's atmosphere.

SpaceX had targeted 4:59 p.m. Thursday to send up the Falcon 9, but the company moved the Starlink 6-96 mission to a new Friday afternoon launch window.

The first Starlink satellites to join SpaceX's megaconstellation in 2026 were launched today (Jan. 4) on a brand new Falcon 9 rocket.

In September 2024, Musk discussed SpaceX’s plans to send an uncrewed Starship rocket to Mars this coming year. At the time, Musk said the mission would test how reliably SpaceX could land its vehicles on the planet’s surface. If things went well, he estimated SpaceX could send crewed missions as soon as 2028.

SpaceX could soon debut from South Texas a more advanced and powerful version of its mammoth spacecraft known as Starship. Here's what to know.

The maneuvers will be undertaken by SpaceX, the owner of the largest satellite fleet in orbit. About 4,400 of the company’s Starlink Internet satellites will move from an altitude of 341 miles (550 kilometers) to 298 miles (480 kilometers) over the course of 2026, according to Michael Nicolls, SpaceX’s vice president of Starlink engineering.

The second stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket captured an amazing view of Earth during the launch of the Intelsat 40e satellite. Credit: SpaceX | time-lapsed by Space.com's Steve Spaleta Music: Jupiter

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk appeared to confirm plans for a listing in December. The company could seek to raise $30 billion.