SpaceX is eyeing mid-May 2026 for Starship's twelfth integrated test flight, with NASASpaceflight reporting the mission will fly a refined trajectory. According to launch advisory data, the current target window opens May 12 at 22:30 UTC — though as always with Starship, that date remains subject to hardware and regulatory readiness.
What makes Flight 12 particularly significant is the vehicle itself. This will be the first flight of Starship Version 3 — a clean-sheet redesign pairing Booster 19 and Ship 39, both powered by Raptor 3 engines. When stacked, the V3 stack stands 408 feet tall (about 4 feet taller than V2) and is designed to carry over 100 tons to low Earth orbit, nearly triple the V2's roughly 35-ton capacity. It will also be the first Starship launch from Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas.
The road to Flight 12 hasn't been entirely smooth. Static fire testing on Booster 19 saw a 10-engine attempt abort due to ground support equipment issues, and a 33-engine test cut short at T+1.88 seconds from a sensor fault. The upper stage fared better — completing a full-duration static fire on April 14, a first for any V3 vehicle. The FCC has already granted a launch license covering dates through October 2026, so regulatory clearance isn't the bottleneck.
The mission profile will follow a suborbital arc similar to prior flights, with both booster and ship targeting splashdown rather than a tower catch. That's a deliberate step back in ambition — SpaceX appears focused on validating the new vehicle architecture before pushing for the booster-catch milestones Flight 11 achieved. If the V3 stack performs as designed, it would represent the most capable rocket ever flown, and a major stride toward the fully reusable heavy-lift system that underpins both NASA's Artemis lunar plans and SpaceX's own Mars ambitions. Watch for a formal launch license filing and FAA approval as the clearest signal that May 12 is holding. For more on SpaceX's progress, see our SpaceX coverage.
Sarah focuses on Tesla Energy, SpaceX missions, and the broader Musk AI portfolio. Former data analyst in clean energy. Based in San Francisco.
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