American rapper Nicki Minaj captured widespread attention on Thursday after making an unexpected appearance at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas, where the aerospace company was preparing for the launch of its latest Starship V3 rocket.

The ‘Starships’ performer was photographed at the site wearing a SpaceX Starship-branded shirt and was also featured during the live webcast of the mission. Speaking during the broadcast, Minaj described the experience as “historic” and shared that it was the first time she had ever watched a rocket launch in person.

The Starship V3, regarded as SpaceX’s newest generation of heavy-lift spacecraft, had been scheduled for departure from the Boca Chica launch base. The mission generated huge excitement, as the upgraded rocket is expected to play a key role in future operations, including swift satellite deployment and crewed voyages to the Moon.

Despite the anticipation surrounding the event, the launch was halted moments before take-off due to a technical fault detected during the final countdown. Company engineers disclosed that the issue could not be rectified in time, forcing SpaceX to reschedule the mission for Friday.

Minaj’s surprise appearance rapidly became a trending topic online, with fans amused by the striking connection between her chart-topping track “Starships (Were Meant to Fly)” and the rocket mission.

SpaceX’s ambitious Starship programme is focused on lowering the cost of space travel while paving the way for missions beyond low Earth orbit, including NASA’s Artemis lunar mission and future human expeditions to Mars.