SpaceX has postponed the 12th test flight of its Starship rocket, originally scheduled for Thursday evening. The mission, which aims to debut the advanced Starship V3 vehicle, has been rescheduled for Friday. The launch is set to take place from a newly constructed pad at the company’s Starbase facility in Texas, marking a critical milestone for the aerospace firm as it prepares for its public market debut.

The Starship V3 represents a significant leap in engineering, designed to carry 100 metric tons into orbit with full reusability. This capability is central to the company’s long-term strategy to increase launch frequency and expand its Starlink satellite constellation, which currently serves as a primary driver of the company’s revenue and profitability. According to recent financial filings, SpaceX has invested over $15 billion into the Starship program to date.

This test flight carries added weight as the company looks to demonstrate its technological prowess to potential investors. Beyond commercial satellite deployment, the Starship program is a cornerstone of broader space exploration goals, including Elon Musk’s vision for Mars colonization and NASA’s Artemis IV mission, which intends to utilize the rocket as a lunar lander by 2028. The upcoming flight will carry mock Starlink satellites to test the vehicle’s performance under operational conditions.