๐ UPDATE โ May 21, 2026
Starship Flight 12's May 21 launch attempt was scrubbed due to a hydraulic pin issue that prevented a tower arm from retracting during the countdown. Elon Musk confirmed the fault on X, explaining that if the problem can be resolved overnight, SpaceX will make another launch attempt on Friday, May 22 at 5:30 AM CT. SpaceX officially announced they were "standing down from today's flight test" with no further details beyond the mechanical fault.
๐ UPDATE โ May 21, 2026
Flight 12 is no longer imminent โ it's happening now. SpaceX confirmed the team is "go for prop load" at T-60 minutes, with propellant loading now well underway as of ~22:57 UTC. Elon Musk confirmed the Starship V3 first flight countdown is underway, and SpaceX's live webcast is live. SpaceX also officially confirmed that both Booster 19 and Ship 39 are powered by the next evolution of the Raptor engine โ marking the debut of next-gen propulsion on both vehicles simultaneously.
"Flight 12 will debut the next generation Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, with both powered by the next evolution of the Raptor engine." โ @SpaceX, May 21, 2026
๐ UPDATE โ May 21, 2026
Flight 12 is now targeting 6:30 p.m. CT today for liftoff, after SpaceX pushed the window back from an earlier 6:00 p.m. CT target. The stakes couldn't be higher: Ars Technica's Eric Berger notes the flight is "really, really important" to validate the industry's broad bet on rapid, low-cost super heavy lift. For NASA, a poor outcome could be borderline catastrophic โ another six months of delays would likely make Blue Origin the agency's most viable option for a lunar landing in 2028 or 2029.
๐ UPDATE โ May 21, 2026
SpaceX has officially confirmed Starship Flight 12 is on track for launch today. The launch window runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. CT, with live coverage beginning approximately 45 minutes before liftoff. On-site observers at South Padre Island report cool temperatures, light winds, and improving conditions โ though clouds remain the primary concern heading into the window.
๐ด LIVE: Watch the SpaceX webcast at @SpaceX starting ~4:45 p.m. CT.
๐ UPDATE โ May 21, 2026
It's launch day for Starship Flight 12. SpaceX has confirmed a launch window opening at 5:30 PM CST (2330 UTC) with a 1.5-hour duration. Weather is currently the primary watch item, with only a 45% chance of favorable conditions at window open โ though forecasters expect conditions to improve later in the afternoon. Teams are proceeding with launch day operations as the weather is monitored closely.
@JoeTegtmeyer ยท May 21, 2026
"It's launch day for Flight 12 and the weather is a watch item. Right now @SpaceX says ~45% chance of favorable conditions, but these should improve later in the afternoon. Launch window is 5:30 PM CST (2330 UTC) with 1 1/2 hour duration."
๐ UPDATE โ May 21, 2026
SpaceX has officially announced the Flight 12 launch window: a 90-minute window opening at 5:30 p.m. CT today, with live coverage beginning approximately 45 minutes before liftoff. The current weather forecast stands at 55% favorable for liftoff โ marginal but workable. SpaceX has published the webcast link ahead of the attempt.
๐ UPDATE โ May 21, 2026
Starship Flight 12 is now imminent. As of early May 21, Booster 19 and Ship 39 are confirmed ready for flight with the launch countdown standing at approximately T-21 hours. Aerial photos captured by Joe Tegtmeyer show the stacked vehicle visible behind the original tower at Starbase, signaling the stack has not rolled back and all systems appear go for the targeted liftoff later today.
๐ธ @JoeTegtmeyer ยท May 21, 2026
๐ UPDATE โ May 21, 2026
SpaceX remains GO for Starship Flight 12 on Thursday, per NASASpaceflight. The mission will mark the first-ever flight of the Block 3/V3 vehicle, lifting off from Pad 2 at Starbase. With both WDRs now behind the team and no new scrub indicators reported, the May 21 target date set earlier appears to be holding firm. Stay tuned for live coverage as the countdown progresses.
SpaceX has completed the second Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) for the first Starship V3 vehicle โ Booster 19 stacked with Ship 39 โ clearing one of the final pre-flight checkboxes before the rocket's inaugural launch. With the FAA license confirmed and a launch window targeting May 21, 2026, the 124-meter-tall stack is closer to liftoff than at any point in its development.
What a Wet Dress Rehearsal Actually Proves
A WDR is the most realistic simulation of launch day short of igniting the engines. For Starship V3, that meant loading more than 5,000 metric tons of supercooled liquid methane and liquid oxygen into the fully integrated stack at Pad 2, Starbase, Texas โ then running through countdown procedures to verify that every system, sensor, and ground support interface behaves exactly as it would on launch day.
This was the second attempt. An earlier WDR on May 9 was aborted after unfavorable telemetry data surfaced during loading. The successful completion on May 11 confirmed that the underlying issue was resolved and that the vehicle and the newly built Pad 2 infrastructure are ready for the real thing.
Pad 2 itself is a significant upgrade over the original launch mount. According to pre-launch reporting, it features faster propellant loading systems, improved chopstick arms with electromechanical actuators, a stronger quick-disconnect arm, and a new bidirectional flame diverter โ all designed to support higher launch cadence going forward.
What Makes Starship V3 Different
Flight 12 is not just another Starship test โ it marks the debut of a substantially upgraded vehicle configuration. The headline change is the Raptor 3 engine suite. Sea-level thrust climbs to 250 tf per engine (up from 230 tf), vacuum thrust rises to 275 tf (up from 258 tf), and each engine is roughly 105 kg lighter than its predecessor despite the power increase. The design is also simpler: integrated sensors and controllers, no engine shrouds, and a new ignition system.
The Super Heavy booster has been reworked too. The grid fin count drops from four to three, but the fins themselves are larger and structurally stronger. Hot staging โ the technique that allows Ship ignition before booster separation โ is integrated into the design rather than retrofitted.
At the vehicle level, Starship V3 carries a more robust heat shield, upgraded avionics, and structural enhancements targeting a payload capacity of over 100 metric tons to low Earth orbit in reusable configuration, with a design goal of 150 metric tons.
What Flight 12 Will Try to Demonstrate
The mission profile for Flight 12 is ambitious. According to pre-launch objectives, SpaceX plans to demonstrate a full ascent profile, hot-staging separation, in-space engine relights, and reentry testing for the Ship. The upper stage will also deploy 20 Starlink simulator satellites along with two modified Starlink V3 units โ one intended to test hardware for the next-generation Starlink constellation, the other to scan Starship's heat shield from the outside during reentry.
Booster 19 is expected to attempt a return to the launch site for catch by the mechazilla arms, continuing the catch-and-reuse cadence established in earlier flights.
With the WDR behind them and the FAA license in hand, the remaining variables are weather and any last-minute range constraints. The May 21 window at 6:30 p.m. EDT represents SpaceX's current best target โ though as with every Starship campaign, the schedule remains fluid until the countdown clock reaches zero. Follow our SpaceX coverage for launch-day updates.
Sarah focuses on Tesla Energy, SpaceX missions, and the broader Musk AI portfolio. Former data analyst in clean energy. Based in San Francisco.
Sources verified at publish time. Spotted an inaccuracy? Email editorial@basenor.com.
