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Starship | Flight 12
SpaceXLaunch Successful

Flight 12

Starship V3

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Historical mission record

This page records Starship Flight 12 and its reported outcome: Launch Successful. The date above is a historical record.

Source record updated . This is a source update, not a confirmed launch time.

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How to read launch targets and status

The latest on this mission

What changed?

Successful liftoff and ascent of Starship and Super Heavy, placing Ship 39 on a valid suborbital trajectory

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Unofficial Re-stream by SPACE AFFAIRS has started

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Mission status
Launch Successful

Status reported by the mission data provider.

LAUNCH SITESpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

Mission

12th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. Maiden Flight of Starship V3. The flight test’s primary goal will be to demonstrate each of these new pieces in the flight environment for the first time, with each element of the Starship architecture featuring significant redesigns to enable full and rapid reuse that incorporate learnings from years of development and test. The Starship upper stage will target multiple in-space and reentry objectives, including a payload deployment of 20 Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, and two specially modified Starlink satellites. The two modified satellites will test hardware planned for Starlink V3 and will attempt to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators to test methods of analyzing Starship’s heat shield readiness for return to launch site on future missions. Several tiles on Starship have been painted white to simulate missing tiles and serve as imaging targets in the test. The Starlink simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship. A relight of a single Raptor engine while in space is also planned. For Starship entry, a single heat shield tile has been intentionally removed to measure the aerodynamic load differences on adjacent tiles when there is a tile missing. Finally, the ship will perform experimental actions tested on previous flight tests, including a maneuver to intentionally stress the structural limits of the vehicle’s rear flaps and a dynamic banking maneuver to mimic the trajectory that future missions returning to Starbase will fly.

Launch vehicle
Starship V3
Mission type
Test Flight
Destination orbit
Suborbital
Spacecraft
Ship 39
Destination
Suborbital
Launch pad
Orbital Launch Pad 2
Provider
SpaceX
Programs
SpaceX Starship
Recovery
Ocean, The Super Heavy Booster 19 was lost after stage separation, having performed an off-nominal boostback burn with fewer engines than planned. +1

The vehicle

Published configuration and flight history.

Launch vehicle

Starship V3

Third development version of the Starship reusable two-stage super heavy-lift launch vehicle.

Height
124.4 m
Diameter
9 m
Stages
2
Recorded launches
1
First flight
2026-05-22
Booster 19
SpaceX
Core

Booster 19

Flight 1NewLanding failed
Recovery
Gulf of Mexico
Landing method
Ocean

Recorded timing

This is a mission record, not an upcoming calendar appointment.

1h 30m windowPublished target
WINDOW OPENS
WINDOW CLOSES

Target ·

The target marker shows its position within the published window. The schedule may change before launch.

Flight timeline

Planned sequence, not live telemetry. Times are relative to the launch target.

  1. T−00:50:00

    GO for Prop Load

  2. T−00:38:53

    Stage 2 LOX Load

  3. T−00:35:00

    Stage 1 LOX Load

  4. T−00:34:43

    Stage 1 LNG Load

  5. T−00:32:59

    Stage 2 LNG Load

  6. T−00:21:30

    Engine Chill

Show the full sequence (32 events)
  1. T−00:02:50

    Stage 1 Propellant Load Complete

  2. T−00:02:10

    Stage 2 Propellant Load Complete

  3. T−00:00:30

    GO for Launch

  4. T−00:00:17

    Flame Deflector Activation

  5. T−00:00:03

    Ignition

  6. T+00:00:00

    Excitement Guaranteed

  7. T+00:00:00

    Liftoff

  8. T+00:00:45

    Max-Q

  9. T+00:02:22

    MECO

  10. T+00:02:24

    Stage 2 Separation

  11. T+00:02:30

    Booster Boostback Burn Startup

  12. T+00:03:30

    Booster Boostback Burn Shutdown

  13. T+00:06:34

    Stage 1 Landing Burn

  14. T+00:06:59

    Stage 1 Landing

  15. T+00:08:11

    SECO-1

  16. T+00:17:37

    Payload Deployment Sequence Start

  17. T+00:27:15

    Payload Deployment Sequence End

  18. T+00:38:37

    SEB-2

  19. T+00:47:47

    Atmospheric Entry

  20. T+01:02:29

    Starship Transonic

  21. T+01:03:08

    Starship Subsonic

  22. T+01:05:06

    Starship Landing Burn

  23. T+01:05:08

    Landing Flip

  24. T+01:05:17

    Starship Landing

  25. T+01:05:24

    Starship Landing

  26. T+01:05:26

    Starship Landing

Launch site & orbit

SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

The mission in perspective

Launch site

DestinationSuborbital

Explore the launch pad on Earth using its published coordinates.

Explore Earth’s orbits
NASA Blue Marble map of Earth's continents and oceans
Geographic view · illustrative lightingNo live tracking or simulated ascent. NASA Blue Marble.

Coverage & sources

Links supplied by the mission data provider.
Coverage and times may change.

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