SpaceX Starship 12th test flight coverage

SpaceX set Starship’s 12th test flight for Friday, May 22, with a 90-minute launch window opening at 5:30 p.m. CT from Starbase, Texas. The company said its own live webcast would begin about 45 minutes before liftoff and described the mission as the debut of a redesigned Starship, Super Heavy booster, Raptor engine evolution and a newly designed launch pad. YouTube listings showed at least three separate live streams clustered around the same launch window. Spaceflight Now scheduled a stream titled “Watch Live: SpaceX Starship launches on 12th test flight,” while other channels also posted live coverage centered on the same mission window. ### Which launch window were all those streams following? SpaceX said on its launch page that Flight 12 was preparing to launch on Friday, May 22, and that the window would open at 5:30 p.m. (spacex.com) CT. The company also warned that “the schedule is dynamic and likely to change,” a standard caveat for developmental test flights. Spaceflight Now’s YouTube listing gave the same opening time in multiple time zones, describing liftoff from Starbase during a window that opens at 5:30 p.m. (youtube.com) CDT, 6:30 p.m. EDT and 2230 UTC. A separate Space Affairs listing also tied its stream to Starship Test Flight 12 from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas. ### What was SpaceX trying to test on Flight 12? SpaceX said the “primary goal” of Flight 12 was to demonstrate newly redesigned elements of the Starship system in flight for the first time. (spacex.com) The company said those changes were aimed at enabling “full and rapid reuse” after years of development and testing. The booster test plan called for launch, ascent, stage separation, a boostback burn and a landing burn to an offshore landing point in the Gulf of America. (youtube.com) SpaceX said there would be no return-to-launch-site catch attempt on this flight because it is the first test of a significantly redesigned vehicle. ### What payloads and in-space tests were on the plan? SpaceX said the upper stage would attempt to deploy 20 Starlink simulators and two specially modified Starlink satellites. (spacex.com) The company said the modified satellites would try to scan Starship’s heat shield and send imagery to operators as part of work on future return-to-launch-site missions. Spaceflight Now’s stream description matched that outline, saying Ship 39 would deploy 20 Starlink simulators and two modified Starlink satellites, while the booster splashdown target was the Gulf of Mexico and the ship splashdown target was the Indian Ocean. (spacex.com) ### Why did the heat shield get so much attention before launch? SpaceX said several thermal-protection tiles had been painted white to simulate missing tiles and act as imaging targets during the mission. (spacex.com) The company also said one heat-shield tile had been intentionally removed to measure aerodynamic loads on adjacent tiles during reentry. The mission plan also included an in-space relight of a single Raptor engine and additional reentry maneuvers, including a banking maneuver meant to mimic the trajectory of future missions returning to Starbase. (youtube.com) SpaceX said another planned action would intentionally stress the structural limits of the vehicle’s rear flaps. ### Who was carrying the live coverage? SpaceX said viewers could watch the company webcast on its launch page and on X through the @SpaceX account. (spacex.com) The launch page said coverage would start about 45 minutes before liftoff. Spaceflight Now said its coverage would begin two hours before launch and named host Will Robinson-Smith, joined by Ars Technica reporter Stephen Clark and Wall Street Journal reporter Micah Maidenberg. (spacex.com) The separate Space Affairs stream also listed Flight 12 vehicle details including Booster 19 and Ship 39 at Pad 2 in Starbase. SpaceX’s next published milestone was the opening of the launch window at 5:30 p.m. (spacex.com) CT on May 22, with the company’s webcast beginning roughly 45 minutes earlier. (youtube.com)