SpaceX lands in Brownsville the week Starship V3 is cleared for launch

SpaceX flew from Los Angeles International Airport to Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport early on May 14, 2026, a 2-hour-45-minute hop aboard the company's Boeing 737-800 employee shuttle, N154TS. The grey-and-white 737, a high-capacity workhorse that runs the Hawthorne-to-Starbase route roughly three times a week, touched down just after local midnight.

The same week the shuttle landed, SpaceX announced it had completed a launch rehearsal and received regulatory clearance for the debut of Starship Version 3, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. Launch is targeted as soon as May 19 from the new Pad 2 at Starbase, per a SpaceX update covered by [Space.com](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacexs-starship-v3-megarocket-finally-has-a-debut-launch-date-heres-when-it-will-fly). The V3 vehicle, which stands about 408 feet tall, features redesigned Raptor 3 engines, a clean-sheet propulsion system, and the ability to carry over 100 tons to orbit — a critical milestone for NASA's Artemis moon program.

The shuttle's arrival continues a well-established pattern: N154TS has flown between Los Angeles and Brownsville at least six times in the past two weeks, ferrying engineers and technicians as SpaceX worked through static fires and tanking tests. With Flight 12 now imminent, the steady stream of personnel moving south suggests the company is in its final push toward the launch pad.