SpaceX schedules Starship V3 May 19

SpaceX said on May 14 that it is targeting May 19 for the 12th flight test of Starship, a mission that will debut the company’s third-generation Starship V3 and Super Heavy V3 vehicles from Starbase, Texas. The launch window opens at 5:30 p.m. Central time, and a live webcast is scheduled to begin about 30 minutes before liftoff, according to the company’s launch page. The test will also mark the first Starship launch from a newly designed pad at Starbase, SpaceX said. Flight 12 is the first mission for the redesigned vehicle stack since the company’s 11th flight test in October 2025. ### What exactly is new about Starship V3? SpaceX said on May 12 that Starship V3 is the third generation of both Starship and Super Heavy and is powered by Raptor 3 engines. The company said the new vehicles incorporate “learnings from years of flight testing and development” and will launch from an entirely new launch pad. (spacex.com) The Super Heavy V3 booster includes three grid fins instead of four, with each fin 50% larger, according to SpaceX. The company said it redesigned the fuel transfer tube that feeds the booster’s 33 Raptor engines, changed the aft thermal protection system, and split the quick-disconnect system into two physically separated connection points for added redundancy. (spacex.com) Starship V3 also carries what SpaceX described as a clean-sheet redesign of its propulsion systems. The company said those changes support a new Raptor startup method, increase propellant tank volume and improve the reaction control system used for steering in flight. ### What will SpaceX try to do on the May 19 flight? (spacex.com) Flight 12’s primary goal is to demonstrate the redesigned ship, booster, engines and launch pad in flight for the first time, SpaceX said. The company said the booster is expected to attempt launch, ascent, stage separation, a boostback burn and a landing burn to an offshore landing point in the Gulf of America, rather than a return-to-launch-site catch. (spacex.com) The Starship upper stage is scheduled to pursue several in-space and reentry objectives, according to SpaceX. Those include deploying 22 Starlink simulators, relighting a single Raptor engine in space, and performing a dynamic banking maneuver meant to mimic the trajectory of future missions returning to Starbase. (spacex.com) SpaceX said the last two simulators will scan Starship’s heat shield and send imagery to operators to test inspection methods for future return-to-launch-site missions. The company also said it intentionally painted several tiles white to simulate missing tiles and removed one heat-shield tile to measure loads on adjacent tiles during reentry. (spacex.com) ### How does this compare with the last two Starship flights? On October 13, 2025, SpaceX flew its 11th Starship test, which the company described as the final flight of second-generation Starship and first-generation Super Heavy, as well as the final launch from the then-current configuration of Pad 1. SpaceX said that mission met every major objective and ended with both the booster and ship splashing down after completing their planned flight events. (spacex.com) On August 26, 2025, SpaceX’s 10th flight test also met every major objective, the company said. That mission included the first successful payload demonstration from Starship, with eight Starlink simulators deployed on a suborbital trajectory, followed by an in-space Raptor relight and a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean. (spacex.com) SpaceX said Flight 12 will expand on those earlier tests by flying a substantially redesigned vehicle pair and a new pad. The company said this next iteration is intended for future orbital flights, operational payload missions and propellant transfer. ### Why is the launch pad part of the test? SpaceX said Flight 12 will launch from a newly designed pad at Starbase rather than the pad configuration used on earlier flights. (spacex.com) The company’s Starship V3 update linked the vehicle redesign directly to launch-site changes, saying the next-generation stack is being introduced alongside new ground systems. (spacex.com) The company did not present the pad as a separate demonstration mission. Instead, SpaceX said the test’s purpose is to exercise the redesigned Starship architecture as a system, including the ship, booster, Raptor engines and launch pad, in a flight environment for the first time. ### Where can viewers follow the countdown? (spacex.com) SpaceX said the webcast for Flight 12 will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff on its website, on X at @SpaceX and on the X TV app. The company also said the schedule remains dynamic, with updates to be posted on its site and X account ahead of the planned Tuesday, May 19 launch from Starbase, Texas. (spacex.com)