SpaceX has officially revealed the precise objectives and characteristics for the twelfth test flight of Starship, currently slated for no earlier than the night between Tuesday, May 19th and Wednesday, May 20th. The next Starship launch is scheduled for 00:30 Italian time on May 20th, which corresponds to 17:30 CT on May 19th in Texas.
As is typical for Starship’s development tests, the date remains highly variable and may change based on final tests, Starship’s readiness, weather conditions, and the acquisition of necessary permits. The official SpaceX livestream will commence approximately 30 minutes before the launch on SpaceX’s official channels and X.
A Fundamental Test!
Flight number 12 is particularly significant as it marks the debut of virtually the entire launch infrastructure: it will feature the new generation of Starship and Super Heavy, alongside an evolved version of the Raptor engines, the new Starbase launchpad, and the updated Mechazilla. SpaceX will leverage this flight to test a series of modifications across the entire system architecture in a real-world environment for the first time, with the aim of advancing towards full and rapid reusability.
Compared to previous flights, the primary change lies in the hardware. In past tests, SpaceX has progressively demonstrated ignition, stage separation, controlled Ship reentry, and in some cases, booster recovery maneuvers towards the launch tower. However, during recent flights, the booster was no longer captured by the Mechazilla to attempt more complex maneuvers. Even with Flight 12, the objective will not be to attempt a new mid-air Super Heavy capture, but rather to verify the performance of the updated system version during the mission’s main phases.
The booster is tasked with performing takeoff, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and landing burn, with a planned splashdown point offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX has opted not to attempt a return to the tower precisely because this is the first flight of a significantly redesigned vehicle. The priority will therefore be to gather data on the new Super Heavy, the updated Raptors, and the launch infrastructure.
The Ship, meanwhile, has several objectives in space and during atmospheric reentry. Among these, it is scheduled to release 22 Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink satellites. The final two simulators released will also be tasked with observing Starship’s heat shield and transmitting images to operators, testing a potential inspection method for future Starbase returns. This represents one of the most significant innovations in this phase of a Starship test flight.
The Last Suborbital Launch?
SpaceX has also prepared several specific tests for the heat shield. Some thermal tiles have been painted white to simulate missing elements and facilitate image analysis. Furthermore, a single tile has been intentionally removed to measure the differences in aerodynamic loads on adjacent tiles during reentry. These are crucial tests for understanding the thermal protection system’s margin under non-nominal conditions.
The mission also includes the planned restart of a single Raptor engine in space, a capability necessary for future orbital profiles that has been tested in previous flights, though never with a Raptor 3. During reentry, the Ship will execute maneuvers previously tested in prior flights, including controlled stress on the aft flaps and a dynamic pitch designed to simulate the trajectory that could eventually bring Starship back to Starbase.
