SpaceX spending on Starship tops $15 billion in rush for airline-like rocketry

SpaceX has invested over $15 billion into developing its next-generation rocket, Starship, far exceeding the roughly $400 million spent on Falcon 9. This highlights how central Starship is to the company’s future, especially as it moves toward a potential IPO valuation of about $1.75 trillion. Starship is designed to enable full reusability at scale, dramatically lowering launch costs and supporting major ambitions such as deploying larger batches of Starlink satellites, conducting Moon and Mars missions, and potentially launching space-based AI infrastructure. SpaceX plans to begin launching its next-generation Starlink V3 satellites in the second half of 2026, with Starship capable of carrying up to 60 per flight—much more than Falcon 9. Despite progress, including successful test milestones like catching the Super Heavy booster, the program still faces major challenges. These include frequent test failures, the need for massive ground infrastructure (fuel, water, launch systems), and the complexity of in-orbit refueling, which has not yet been demonstrated. Each launch also requires enormous resources, such as large volumes of fuel and water. Starship development is now the primary focus of SpaceX’s R&D spending, with $3 billion allocated in 2025 alone. The company is preparing for the next major test flight featuring the upgraded Starship V3, which will support orbital missions and future lunar landings under contracts with NASA.