Nicki Minaj attended SpaceX’s planned Starship V3 launch attempt on May 21 at the Starbase site in Boca Chica Beach, Texas, wearing a "Starship" T-shirt and appearing on livestreams praising Elon Musk [1, 2]. The rapper called the event "historic" and "amazing," thanking Musk for "everything that you're doing for humanity" [1, 2]. Elon Musk welcomed Minaj publicly via a post on X and shared an AI-generated image of them during the event [1].
SpaceX scrubbed the launch after technical issues emerged with a hydraulic pin that failed to retract, holding the tower arm in place and preventing the launch [1, 2]. Musk joked on X, "Get in loser, we are launching rocket today," but the problem halted the attempt [1]. SpaceX announced plans for a second launch attempt as early as May 22, contingent on fixing the technical malfunction [1, 2].
The Starship V3 rocket is designed to carry larger payloads than previous models and aims to support future lunar missions [2]. Earlier that month, SpaceX filed for an initial public offering with a potential valuation near $2 trillion, which would be the largest IPO in history [2].
Minaj has publicly aligned with the MAGA movement and former President Donald Trump over the past year, describing herself as Trump’s "number one fan" [1, 2]. Her support intensified amid frustrations with industry pressures and political conflicts involving California Governor Gavin Newsom [1].
The next SpaceX launch attempt is set for the evening of May 22, pending resolution of the hydraulic pin issue [1, 2].
