by SpaceX USA

Propellant Transfer Demonstration (Target)

Planned 2026 Q4

Starship will reach low Earth orbit and then wait three to four weeks for the second half of this two-ship test to launch and catch up. The pair will dock belly-to-belly and more than 10 tonnes of liquid oxygen will flow into this ship. No Starship can head for the Moon without being refuelled in orbit first, and this will be the first attempt at moving propellant between two ships.

launching from OLP-A Starbase

aboard Starship into LEO

Payload

Starship

Technology demonstration

last updated Aug 11, 2026