SpaceX readies Starship flight 12

SpaceX said on May 15 that Starship’s twelfth flight test was preparing to launch as soon as Tuesday, May 19, from the company’s Starbase site in South Texas. The company set the launch window to open at 5:30 p.m. Central time and said the schedule could still change. SpaceX is using the mission to debut its third-generation Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, along with a newly designed launch pad at Starbase. The Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic advisory system separately listed a primary launch window on May 19 from 2230Z to 0033Z, with a backup window on May 20. ### Why is this flight getting extra attention inside the Starship program? SpaceX said Flight 12 will be the first test of its next-generation Starship and Super Heavy hardware in flight. The company’s May 12 vehicle update described the third-generation system as a redesign powered by Raptor 3 engines and built to incorporate lessons from earlier test flights. (spacex.com) The new booster and ship carry visible engineering changes. SpaceX said the Super Heavy V3 booster now uses three larger grid fins instead of four, a redesigned fuel transfer tube for all 33 engines, and two separate quick-disconnect connection points between pad and vehicle. The upper stage, which SpaceX calls Starship V3, has a clean-sheet propulsion redesign, larger propellant volume and rerouted aft-end systems. (spacex.com) ### What exactly is SpaceX trying to do on Flight 12? SpaceX said the booster’s main objectives are launch, ascent, stage separation, a boostback burn and a landing burn to an offshore point in the Gulf of America. Because this is the first flight of a heavily redesigned vehicle, the company said the booster will not attempt a return-to-launch-site catch. (spacex.com) The upper stage is scheduled to attempt several in-space and reentry tests. SpaceX said Starship will try to deploy 22 Starlink simulators, relight a single Raptor engine in space and carry out reentry maneuvers designed to stress the vehicle’s flaps and heat shield. The company said the last two simulators are meant to image the heat shield and transmit data to ground operators. (spacex.com) ### What changed after the last Starship flight? On October 13, 2025, SpaceX flew Starship’s eleventh test from Starbase and said every major objective of that mission was achieved. The company said the booster completed its planned splashdown sequence off Texas, while the ship deployed eight Starlink simulators, relit a Raptor engine in space and then splashed down in the Indian Ocean after reentry tests. (spacex.com) SpaceX said Flight 11 was the final flight of the second-generation Starship and first-generation Super Heavy booster, and the final launch from the prior configuration of Pad 1. The company said the next iteration would be used for the first Starship orbital flights, operational payload missions and propellant transfer tests. (spacex.com) ### Where will Flight 12 fly, and where will it end? SpaceX said the booster is targeting an offshore landing point in the Gulf rather than a catch at the launch site. The company said the Starlink simulators will remain on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship. FAA airspace planning notices listed the Starship Flight 12 operation for May 19 with a backup on May 20. (spacex.com) Industry schedule trackers and local reporting have also described the mission as the first launch from Starbase Pad 2, though SpaceX’s own flight page identifies the new launch pad without numbering it on that page. (spacex.com) ### Where can viewers follow the launch attempt? SpaceX said a live webcast will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff on the company’s launch page, on X at @SpaceX and on the X TV app. The company also said developmental test schedules remain dynamic and urged viewers to check for updates before the window opens. (fly.faa.gov) May 19 is the next published target date, and the FAA advisory lists May 20 as the backup opportunity. SpaceX’s posted countdown page says the launch window opens at 5:30 p.m. Central time from Starbase, Texas. (spacex.com)