Starship V3 Debuts in 12th Test Flight

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated that the team "scored a goal for humanity."

SpaceX conducted the 12th uncrewed test flight of its Starship vehicle on Friday, May 22, 2026, marking the first launch of the upgraded V3 iteration. The vehicle launched from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas and completed a roughly one-hour flight ending with the upper-stage Starship splashing down in the Indian Ocean.

Launch Details

The launch occurred at approximately 5:30 PM local time (6:30 PM Eastern) on Friday. The launch was delayed from May 21 due to a technical issue with a hydraulic pin on the tower arm.

All 33 Raptor 3 engines on the Super Heavy booster ignited at liftoff. One booster engine shut down during ascent, but the vehicle continued its planned trajectory. One of the six upper-stage Raptor 3 engines also failed during ascent.

Stage Separation and Booster

The Super Heavy booster performed a directional flip maneuver after stage separation as planned. The booster was unable to ignite all engines needed for a full boostback burn, executing only a partial burn before falling into the Gulf of Mexico. Recovery was not intended for this flight.

Upper Stage Operations

Approximately 30 minutes after liftoff, the Starship upper stage deployed 20 mock Starlink satellites and two modified satellites. The modified satellites were designed to capture images of the vehicle in space and scan the heat shield, transmitting data back to mission controllers.

Mission controllers did not attempt in-flight re-ignition of the upper-stage engine before re-entry.

Reentry and Landing

During atmospheric reentry, Starship gathered heat shield performance data. The vehicle performed aerodynamic maneuvers under maximum stress conditions, including a simulated return-to-launch-site trajectory to stress test the rear flap.

Starship executed a return-landing burn and a landing flip using two engines. After splashing down in the Indian Ocean, the vehicle exploded.

Program Context

This was the 12th flight test of the Starship program. SpaceX has reported spending over $15 billion developing Starship as a fully reusable spacecraft. The company recently filed for an initial public offering, targeting a valuation of $1.75 trillion, with shares expected to begin trading on June 12, 2026.

"The team scored a goal for humanity." — Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO