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Starship Flight 12

Starship V3 (Block 3)

Go for Launch Weather 55% GO

T MINUSDD HH:MM:SS

00d

12:05:13

The debut of Starship V3 and the Raptor 3 engine, flying suborbital from the new Pad 2.

NET (UTC) THU 21 MAY 22:30Z

Brownsville 17:30 CT local

Window 90 min Suborbital, near-orbital velocity

Pad Pad 2 (OLM-B) · Starbase Suborbital

Mission objectives

› Debut Starship V3 and the Raptor 3 engine in flight
› First launch from Pad 2 (OLM-B)
› Deploy 22 Starlink mass simulators in space
› In-space Raptor relight demonstration
› Test the V3 heat shield through reentry
› Booster boostback and controlled Gulf splashdown

Live updates

Launch Library + curated

21 MAY, 03:07 UTC Latest

Updated launch weather, 55% GO.
Launch Library
18 MAY, 23:39 UTC

Now targeting May 21 at 22:30 UTC
Launch Library
17 MAY, 14:54 UTC

Now targeting May 20 at 22:30 UTC
Launch Library
12 MAY, 21:17 UTC

GO for launch.
Launch Library
12 MAY, 11:19 UTC

NET May 19, TBC.
Launch Library
05 MAY, 17:58 UTC

NET May 15 per new marine navigation warnings, TBC.
Launch Library

SpaceX posts launch updates on X. These are transcribed by Launch Library editors, not embedded, with a manual override for launch day.

Launch weather · Boca Chica Evaluated across the launch window

Updated 21 May, 10:24 UTC

1 watch item

Forecast flags: cloud cover.

Surface wind

14/17 mph

Within limits

Precipitation

16%

Low chance

Cloud cover

100%

Thick layer

Wind at 250 hPa

54 mph

Nominal shear

Hourly · Boca Chica time

12:00 80° Overcast 24%

13:00 80° Overcast 16%

14:00 80° Overcast 20%

15:00 81° Overcast 25%

16:00 79° Overcast 17%

17:00 78° Overcast 16%

18:00 78° Overcast 16%

19:00 77° Drizzle 15%

20:00 76° Drizzle 15%

21:00 75° Drizzle 1%

22:00 76° Overcast 2%

Indicative read from Open-Meteo. Not the official launch commit criteria or the weather officer's go/no-go call. The launch window is highlighted.

Launch opportunities 90 min window · Suborbital, near-orbital velocity

THU 21 MAY Target launch day

06:00 - 23:00 CT

FRI 22 MAY Contingency

10:00 - 21:00 CT

Each day shows the City of Starbase road and beach closure window, the real constraint on when a launch can happen. SpaceX posts closures a few days ahead, so the contingency days grow as the date approaches.

Flight profile Planned timeline · 12 events

Launch Booster Ship Payload

Liftoff T+00:00
33 Raptor 3 ignite, liftoff from Pad 2
Max Q T+00:45
Peak aerodynamic pressure on the stack
MECO T+02:22
Most booster engines shut down
Hot-stage separation T+02:24
Ship ignites and separates from the booster
Boostback burn T+02:33
Booster steers back toward the Gulf
Booster landing burn T+06:34
Booster relights for a soft splashdown
Booster splashdown T+06:59
Super Heavy splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico
SECO T+08:11
Ship engine cutoff, coast phase begins
Starlink deploy T+17:37
22 Starlink mass simulators released
Raptor relight T+38:37
In-space engine relight demonstration
Reentry T+47:47
Ship begins atmospheric reentry
Ship splashdown T+1:05:06
Landing burn and Indian Ocean splashdown

Curated from SpaceX flight material. Timings are planned targets and shift with the countdown.

Schedule history How the NET has moved

TUE 19 MAY
Initial target
WED 20 MAY
Slipped for additional preflight checks
THU 21 MAY Current NET
Current NET

Booster B19

Super Heavy V3

Engines: 33x Raptor 3
Height: 72.3 m
Propellant: ~4,000 t
Flight: First flight

Replaced B18, lost in a November 2025 cryo-test implosion. Boostback and Gulf splashdown, no tower catch.

Ship S39

Starship V3

Engines: 9x Raptor 3
Height: ~61 m
Payload bay: Starlink V3
Flight: First flight

First V3 upper stage. Carries 22 Starlink mass simulators, an in-space relight, and a redesigned heat shield.