Starship Flight 12: Congratulations, SpaceX, as version 3 gets off to a great start!
It’s been a long wait. But SpaceX now has a new launch pad (including a bi-directional flame trench/diverter, with an enhanced water deluge system), a new version 3 Super Heavy booster, a new version 3 Ship, and new Raptor version 3 engines.
Before launch, there had to be a degree of trepidation amidst the “excitement guaranteed”. Version 2 of Starship was meant to bring “major improvements to reliability and performance”, yet Flights 7, 8, and 9 were disappointing failures - even if we were treated to two more successful catches of the returning booster. That said, it must be acknowledged that Flights 10 and 11 were successful.
Here in the UK, we sat up late into the night of Thursday 21st May 2026 to watch the launch, only for problems with a hydraulic pin holding the tower arm in place to cause several holds and then a scrub.
24 hours later, with a launch targeting 5.30pm (local time) on Friday 22nd May, Starship Flight 12 was ready to try again. SpaceX always hosts these events much better than anyone else, and this time was likewise enthralling, with Dan Huot and Kate Tice especially doing a great job. More propellant was needed in both the Super Heavy booster and Starship than before, yet the fuel went in even quicker than previous flights. SpaceX have made further improvements across the board.
The clock ticked down and we soon heard the immortal words: “Go for launch!” The spectacular sight of flames emanating from 33 Raptor 3 engines, plus tonnes of water and steam shooting out left and right from the bi-directional flame trench, immediately ramped up the excitement. Starship quickly ascended upward, thankfully clearing launch pad 2, and the latest test flight of the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket was off to a good start.
Starship Flight 12 liftoff (Credit: SpaceX)
All 33 Raptors of the Super Heavy booster ignited, although one eventually shut down during the ascent. More importantly, the new integrated hot-staging separation was successful, including a flip manoeuvre. Super Heavy’s boostback burn only partially worked and the landing burn didn’t go smoothly either, causing a hard splashdown in the Gulf of America - but that problem will soon be sorted. And one of the six Raptors powering Starship into space soon failed - specifically one of the three vacuum engines - although this didn’t cause any major problem, even if a planned re-light during the flight was cancelled.
During the coasting phase in space, Starship successfully performed a test deployment of 20 Starlink simulators and two modified Starlink satellites. Seeing this happen in real time was brilliant, and it seemed to go even smoother than similar tests from earlier flights. What was different this time was pictures from cameras onboard the last two satellites as they were released into space, only a little bit delayed until they were received, showing Starship from a completely different perspective. This was another excellent SpaceX initiative, undoubtedly much appreciated by viewers around the world who’ve been following this incredible journey of innovation.
Re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere is always a serious challenge, crucial for SpaceX to gather more data on the heatshields and Starship’s structure. Everything appeared to go well. Then, in the final minutes of the flight, Starship intentionally performed a manoeuvre to stress the vehicle’s rear flaps - followed by a dynamic banking move to mimic the trajectory that future missions returning to Starbase will fly. Again, from what we could see, all was good.
With the last of the action now happening extraordinarily fast, Starship then successfully executed a landing flip, landing burn, and soft splashdown at a pre-planned zone in the Indian Ocean. Again in real time, thanks to Starlink, we were treated to see this unfold thanks to cameras on a drone, onboard Starship itself, and from a sea-level buoy. What a finale! What a success! Congratulations, SpaceX!
Written by Iain Scott, 23rd May 2026.