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SpaceX Successfully Launches Starship Flight 12, Debuting Version 3 Vehicles from New Pad

STARBASE, Texas — SpaceX achieved a milestone in its ambitious Starship program on Friday, May 22, 2026, with the successful liftoff of Starship Flight 12. The flight marked the debut of the upgraded Version 3 (V3) Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, powered by the latest Raptor 3 engines, and the first launch from the company’s new Pad 2 at Starbase.

The fully stacked rocket, consisting of Booster 19 (Super Heavy) and Ship 39 (Starship), lifted off at approximately 5:33 p.m. CDT. All 33 Raptor 3 engines on the booster ignited successfully for liftoff, though one engine shut down during ascent. The vehicle performed a nominal hot-staging separation, with Ship 39’s six Raptor engines igniting to propel the upper stage toward space.

This was the first Starship flight to deploy modified Starlink satellites, including hardware designed to image the vehicle in space for heat shield analysis. The mission followed a suborbital profile, with objectives focused on validating the new V3 hardware in flight rather than attempting a booster catch. SpaceX shared incredible views of the launch operations, linked below.

Booster Performance and Splashdown
Super Heavy executed its boostback burn, though it encountered anomalies: only a portion of the planned engines relit, leading to an abbreviated maneuver. The booster attempted a landing burn but experienced a hard splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico at high velocity. Despite the off-nominal recovery, SpaceX gathered valuable data from the V3 booster’s performance.

Starship Upper Stage Success
Ship 39 continued its journey, reaching space and conducting in-orbit demonstrations, including payload deployment. It navigated reentry successfully, enduring peak heating and performing flap maneuvers. The vehicle executed a landing burn on two engines before splashing down in the Indian Ocean. As planned for this test flight, the ship tipped over and exploded upon impact.

The mission duration was approximately 1 hour and 6 minutes. SpaceX described the test as a key step toward full reusability, in-orbit refueling, and future missions to the Moon and Mars under NASA’s Artemis program.

On the Ground: Witnessing History from South Padre Island
Cosmic Chronicles journalists attended the launch viewing and watched the dramatic liftoff from South Padre Island, Texas. From popular spots like Isla Blanca Park, spectators enjoyed clear views across the water as the massive rocket climbed into the evening sky, its engines lighting up the horizon in a spectacular display of power. The vantage point offered an unforgettable perspective on this pivotal test in SpaceX’s rapid development campaign. See the Cosmic Chronicles Starship Flight 12 videos linked below.

SpaceX teams will now analyze flight data to prepare for future tests, with Flight 13 potentially building on the lessons from this V3 debut. This launch continues SpaceX’s iterative approach, pushing the boundaries of reusable rocket technology.

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