SpaceX delays Starship Flight 12 to May 21

SpaceX has pushed the debut of Starship Flight 12 to Thursday, May 21, after previously targeting an earlier launch this week. The company’s launch page says the twelfth flight test is now preparing to lift off “as soon as Thursday, May 21,” with the window opening at 5:30 p.m. Central time. The May 21 mission would be SpaceX’s first Starship flight test since October and the first outing for the company’s upgraded Starship V3 configuration, according to Reuters and SpaceX’s mission page. Reuters reported on May 19 that the test is being treated as a key debut for the new version of the vehicle. (spacex.com) ### When exactly is SpaceX now planning to launch? SpaceX says the launch window for Flight 12 opens at 5:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, May 21, from its Starbase site in South Texas. The company also says its webcast will start about 45 minutes before liftoff. AccuWeather separately reported the same target time and date, describing the mission as SpaceX’s 12th Starship test flight overall and its first of 2026 after a months-long gap. (finance.yahoo.com) ### What is Flight 12 supposed to test? Flight 12 is the debut mission for Starship V3, the latest version of SpaceX’s next-generation rocket system. (spacex.com) Reuters reported that the upgraded vehicle is central to SpaceX’s plans to advance the program for future moon and Mars missions, while the company’s mission page says the flight will continue developmental testing under dynamic launch conditions. (accuweather.com) Reuters reported that the test comes after a long pause in Starship flights while SpaceX worked on upgrades to the rocket and related systems. Other launch trackers and space publications have described the mission as the maiden flight of the V3 design, though SpaceX’s own page is the primary source for the current schedule. (finance.yahoo.com) ### Why does the delay stand out? Thursday’s target follows a one-day slip from the earlier plan for this week’s debut. Space.com reported that SpaceX is now targeting May 21 for the launch of the “newest Starship design,” reflecting the revised schedule after the earlier date moved. The timing also matters because Starship has not flown since October 2025, according to AccuWeather and Reuters. (finance.yahoo.com) That gap makes Flight 12 the company’s first attempt to return the program to active testing in 2026. ### What else is happening around Starbase? (space.com) Scientific American reported that an investigation has opened into the death of a Starbase worker ahead of the planned launch. Search results for that report and related coverage indicate the worker died at the South Texas site in the leadup to Flight 12. (accuweather.com) Reuters’ May 19 report focused on the vehicle debut and did not tie the launch timing to that investigation. Based on the available reporting, it is clear the worker death and the launch delay are unfolding in the same period, but the sources reviewed here do not establish a causal link between them. (article.wn.com) ### Where can people follow the next step? SpaceX says viewers can watch Flight 12 on the company webcast and on its X account, with coverage beginning about 45 minutes before the scheduled opening of the launch window. The launch site is Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, and the current target remains Thursday, May 21, at 5:30 p.m. CT. (spacex.com) (finance.yahoo.com)