Starship Flight 12
Starship Flight 12 (22 May 2026) was the twelfth integrated flight test of SpaceX's Starship system and the first flight of the upgraded Block 3 vehicles. Starship itself performed close to plan, deploying satellite simulators and splashing down under control, but the Super Heavy booster was lost after a failed boostback burn, prompting an FAA-mandated mishap investigation.
◉ REÁLNÉ FOTO · NOAA / NODD (Emergency Response Imagery, via Wikimedia Commons)Contents
living encyclopedia entryStarship Flight 12 was more than another launch: it was the first flight of the V3 generation, the first launch from Pad 2 and the first Raptor 3 test. The test combined several high-risk changes in one flight. Super Heavy attempted a boostback manoeuvre, the upper stage deployed camera-equipped satellite simulators, and both vehicles exercised new hardware and operations.
MISSION BY THE NUMBERS
- First flight of the Starship and Super Heavy V3 configuration.
- First launch from the second Starbase pad, Pad 2.
- 33 Raptor 3 engines on the booster and 6 engines on the ship.
- 22 modified Starlink satellite simulators deployed for flight imaging.
Course of the flight
Starship lifts off from Starbase's Orbital Launch Pad 2, the first Block 3 flight.
Starship lifts off from Starbase's newly built Orbital Launch Pad 2 - the first flight of the upgraded Block 3 vehicles.
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Hot-staging occurs at T+2:24; the Super Heavy booster begins its boostback burn while Starship continues toward its planned…
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The booster flips abnormally fast for its boostback burn; most of its engines fail to relight, and it crashes into the Gulf of…
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Starship deploys 22 Starlink satellite simulators, then reenters the atmosphere, its heat shield performing as intended.
číst kapitolu →Starship makes a soft, controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia, completing a flight of just…
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FULL TIMELINE →First flight of the Starship V3 architecture; the ship completed its flight and landed successfully, while the Super Heavy booster was lost after a failed boostback burn.
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