SpaceX Targets Starship Refueling Tests and Weekly Launches in 2027

SpaceX plans to attempt a second flight of Starship’s upper stage early in 2027, President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said. The company also aims to conduct long-delayed Starship-to-Starship refueling trials during the first part of the year.

The in-space refueling demonstration is a major milestone for SpaceX and NASA. It is intended to help prove that Starship can transfer propellant in low Earth orbit for future lunar missions under NASA’s Artemis program.

Refueling on this scale has never been demonstrated. SpaceX needs to collect data on the efficiency of propellant transfer, as well as the rate at which liquid oxygen and methane evaporate in space. That information will help refine estimates for how many Starship launches are required to support NASA’s planned Moon landings.

SpaceX aims for a faster Starship launch cadence

In the short term, SpaceX is focused on achieving a high flight cadence and testing the limits of Starship reuse. The company’s long-term goal is to make rapid, repeated launches possible through complete vehicle reusability.

Elon Musk, who has often announced highly optimistic schedules, said he expects Starship to reach a weekly flight pace during the first half of 2027. He forecast twice-weekly launches during the second half of the year.

The timeline will depend largely on how quickly Starship can be reused between flights.

“By solving for rapid and complete reusability, Starship’s launch rate will increase dramatically,” Musk said. “Initially, there will be a small amount of modification required between each flight, but we will resolve the modification needs so that the rocket can quickly land and launch again, just like an aircraft.”

Full Starship reusability remains a major challenge

That remains the vision rather than a proven capability. Full reusability for an orbital rocket has never been achieved, and SpaceX’s engineering team is likely to face significant technical hurdles. Over time, however, the company hopes to move closer to routinely launching, landing and flying Starship again.

SpaceX plans Starship missions for Starlink and Starmind

SpaceX plans to focus primarily on its own payloads for Starship missions in 2027. Shotwell said the company will continue launching prototypes of its Starlink V3 satellite and Starmind data center next year.

Starlink V3 is described as a second-generation mobile satellite designed to provide direct connectivity to cellular phones. During the earnings call, neither Musk nor Shotwell mentioned the controversial suppression of Ukraine’s Starlink capabilities during the country’s war with Russia, and financial analysts did not ask about it.