Starship Flight 12
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Starship V3 · Friday, May 22, 2026 · ★ Landmark flight

Starship Flight 12

Debut of the Block 3 (V3) Starship and the first launch from Pad 2. Starship deployed its payload and splashed down; the booster was lost.

Result
Partial
Super Heavy
Lost
Starship
Splashdown
Duration
~1 hr 6 min

Photo: SpaceX

Flight replay

Watch Starship Flight 12

Video: VideoFromSpace (Space.com), not SpaceX. Watch SpaceX's official webcast.

The flight

What Happened

The first flight of the new Block 3 (V3) Starship and the first launch from Orbital Launch Pad 2. Starship deployed modified Starlink satellites and simulators and completed a controlled splashdown, while the Super Heavy booster was lost over the Gulf during descent, a strong debut for the new vehicle despite the booster loss.

Firsts

  • First flight of the Block 3 (V3) Starship
  • First launch from Orbital Launch Pad 2

Flight path

STARBASEDOWNRANGELOSTSPLASHDOWN1234567891011
The numbers match The Flight Plan below. Not to scale. A dashed line is a stage that did not finish its plan.

Two stages

Booster and Ship

Super Heavy boosterLost
Lost over the Gulf during descent
Starship upper stageSplashdown
Deployed payload and made a controlled splashdown

Objectives

  • First flight of the Block 3 (V3) Starship
  • First launch from Orbital Launch Pad 2
  • Deploy modified Starlink satellites and simulators

Anomalies

  • Booster lost during descent

Minute by minute

The Flight Plan

SpaceX's plan, published before launch. The real flight can differ: What Happened above says how.

  1. T+00:00

    Liftoff

    Full stack

  2. T+00:45

    Max Q (moment of peak aerodynamic stress on the rocket)

    Full stack

  3. T+02:24

    Hot-staging (Starship Raptor ignition and stage separation)

    Full stack

  4. T+02:30

    Super Heavy boostback burn start

    Super Heavy

  5. T+06:34

    Super Heavy landing burn start

    Super Heavy

  6. T+08:11

    Starship engine cutoff

    Starship

  7. T+17:37

    Payload deploy demo start

    Starship

  8. T+38:37

    Raptor in-space relight demo

    Starship

  9. T+47:47

    Starship entry

    Starship

  10. T+1:05:06

    Landing burn start

    Starship

  11. T+1:05:26

    An exciting landing!

    Starship

The full SpaceX timeline (32 steps)
  1. T−50:00SpaceX Flight Director conducts poll and verifies GO for propellant load
  2. T−37:30Ship LOX (liquid oxygen) load underway
  3. T−37:00Booster LOX load underway
  4. T−35:25Booster fuel (liquid methane) load underway
  5. T−34:48Ship fuel load underway
  6. T−21:30Raptor begins engine chill on booster and ship
  7. T−02:50Booster propellant load complete
  8. T−02:10Ship propellant load complete
  9. T−00:30SpaceX flight director verifies GO for launch
  10. T−00:17Flame diverter activation
  11. T−00:03Booster engine startup command
  12. T−00:00Excitement guaranteed
  13. T+00:00Liftoff
  14. T+00:45Max Q (moment of peak aerodynamic stress on the rocket)
  15. T+02:22Super Heavy MECO (most engines cut off)
  16. T+02:24Hot-staging (Starship Raptor ignition and stage separation)
  17. T+02:30Super Heavy boostback burn start
  18. T+03:30Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown
  19. T+06:34Super Heavy landing burn start
  20. T+06:59Super Heavy landing burn shutdown
  21. T+08:11Starship engine cutoff
  22. T+17:37Payload deploy demo start
  23. T+27:15Payload deploy demo complete
  24. T+38:37Raptor in-space relight demo
  25. T+47:47Starship entry
  26. T+1:02:29Starship is transonic
  27. T+1:03:08Starship is subsonic
  28. T+1:05:06Landing burn start
  29. T+1:05:08Landing flip
  30. T+1:05:17Landing burn 3 to 2 engines
  31. T+1:05:24Landing burn 2 to 1 engine
  32. T+1:05:26An exciting landing!

Planned timeline · Source: SpaceX

Sources