Starship V3 Flight 12 flies using Raptor 3 engines

SpaceX’s Starship Flight 12 was the company’s first full test of its V3 configuration, and it packed several firsts into one mission. On Friday, May 22, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. CT, Starship lifted off from Starbase, Texas, on its twelfth flight test, according to SpaceX. (spacex.com) The company said the mission marked the first flight of the Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles, the first use of Raptor 3 engines in flight, the first launch from Pad 2, and the first Starship mission to deploy modified Starlink satellites to image the vehicle in space. This is the cleanest way to understand why Flight 12 drew so much attention: it was not just another Starship launch. (spacex.com) It was a systems test of a new vehicle generation, a new engine standard, a new launch pad, and a new in-space imaging setup, all on one flight. SpaceX’s own mission recap shows the flight hit most of those objectives even though both stages also encountered issues. ### So what actually changed on Starship V3? SpaceX said on May 12 that Starship V3 and Super Heavy V3 incorporate redesigns aimed at “full and rapid reuse,” in-space propellant transfer, Starlink deployment, and eventual Moon and Mars missions. (spacex.com) On the booster side, the company said the grid fins were cut from four to three, each fin is 50% larger, and the fuel transfer tube feeding the 33 engines was completely redesigned to allow all 33 engines to start simultaneously and support faster flip maneuvers. The biggest headline item was propulsion. SpaceX described V3 as being powered by Raptor 3, and Flight 12 was the first time those engines flew on both stages. (spacex.com) During ascent, Super Heavy ignited all 33 Raptor 3 engines, while Starship ignited its six upper-stage Raptors after hot staging. ### How did the launch itself go? SpaceX said the ascent began with all 33 booster engines lit, but one Raptor shut down during ascent. The company still described first-stage ascent as successful and said Starship continued to space after stage separation and upper-stage ignition. (spacex.com) The booster did not complete a nominal return. SpaceX said Super Heavy attempted a boostback burn but could not light all planned engines, performed only a partial burn, and later experienced a hard splashdown in the Gulf of America after a failed landing-burn sequence. (spacex.com) ### Did the ship itself complete the main test points? SpaceX said Starship lost one of its Raptor 3 vacuum engines during ascent but still demonstrated engine-out capability and reached its planned trajectory. That matters because the mission was carrying a larger in-space task list than some earlier flights, including payload deployment and imaging. (spacex.com) During coast, SpaceX said Starship successfully deployed all 20 Starlink simulators and two modified Starlink satellites. The company said those modified satellites imaged Starship in space, making Flight 12 the first Starship mission to return that kind of on-orbit external view. (spacex.com) ### What were those Starlink images for? SpaceX said before the flight that Starship V3 was intended to support Starlink deployment and broader reuse goals. On Flight 12, the modified Starlink satellites were not just extra payloads; they were part of the test architecture, used to image the ship while it was in space. (spacex.com) That setup fits the company’s stated push to gather more flight data as it moves toward faster reuse and more complex return profiles. SpaceX said Starship later re-entered, gathered heat shield and structural data, executed a flap-guided descent to the Indian Ocean, and completed a landing flip, landing burn, and splashdown on two Raptor engines. (spacex.com) ### Why were people sharing German-language livestreams? YouTube listings show at least one German-language stream, “Starship V3 Jungfernflug - Flug 12 [2. Versuch],” was live around the launch and described the mission as the first V3 stack using Booster 19 and Ship 39 from Pad 2 at Starbase. (spacex.com) Those streams became part of the public record around the launch because they carried live commentary and mission timing while SpaceX’s own webcast and social posts circulated. ### What comes next after Flight 12? SpaceX’s Starship V3 update says the redesigns are aimed at enabling rapid reuse, in-space propellant transfer, Starlink deployment, and future human missions beyond Earth orbit. (spacex.com) Flight 12 also included a dynamic banking move intended to mimic future missions returning to Starbase, according to the company’s mission page, which points to return-and-catch operations as a next major test area after this first V3 flight. (youtube.com)