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SpaceX to make 2nd attempt to launch Starship V3 today
SpaceX will try to launch its new Starship Version 3 megarocket today during a flight window that opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT), one day after a stuck hydraulic pin thwarted a first launch try. Our livestream will begin at about 5:45 p.m. EDT (2145 GMT).
“The hydraulic pin hollding the tower arm in place did not retract,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X after the Starship launch scrub. “If that can be fixed tonight, there will be another launch attempt tomorrow at 5:30 CT.”
SpaceX’s Starship V3 test flight, called Flight 12, has a 90-minute launch window today in which to lift off from its new Pad 2 site at the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas. The window closes at 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT). This is the first launch of Starship this year and the first test flight of the redesigned Starship vehicle and Super Heavy booster.
Pad 2 is also new, and includes upgrades to allow faster booster catches and easier turnaround. So everything is new, and SpaceX needs it to go well for its Starship, Artemis lander and other programs.
Here’s a look at what’s at stake for SpaceX’s Starship Flight 12 launch.
I’ll be with you today for the duration, so TGIF!
Tariq Malik
SCRUB: SpaceX calls off 1st Starship V3 launch, may fly May 22
SpaceX just called off today’s launch attempt of its first-ever upgraded Starship V3 rocket due to a technical issue in the last minute before liftoff.
You can read our full story on today’s Starship Flight 12 launch scrub here, Nicki Minaj cameo and all.
“New rocket, new pad, we’re learning a lot about these new systems as we execute them for the first time,” SpaceX’s Dan Huot said in live commentary. “We are expecting to be able to make another flight attempt tomorrow.”
If SpaceX is able to attempt a launch of Starship on the Flight 12 test flight, the window will remain the same. The launch would be scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT) with a window that runs 90 minutes long, closing at 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT). Our launch webcast will begin about 45 minutes before liftoff at 5:45 p.m. EDT (2145 GMT).
Thanks so much for tuning in and we’ll see you again tomorrow!
Tariq Malik
HOLD: SpaceX at T-40 seconds and holding for Starship launch
SpaceX is at T-40 seconds and holding for Starship V3 launch. The clock restarted briefly twice before cycling back.
“So that water diverter underneath the system did trip a hold, but that basically just gives the team the chance to look at it, see if it’s something that we need to troubleshoot in data,” SpaceX’s Dan Huot says.
SpaceX can hold here for several minutes if needed to troubleshoot.
Tariq Malik
Singer Nicki Minaj onhand to watch Starship launch
Singer Nicki Minaj, who sang the hit “Starships” is onhand to watch Starship V3 launch.
“This is historic. This is a major moment, y’all,” Minaj said.
LIftoff is now minutes away at 7:30 p.m ET (2330 GMT). You can watch live here.
Tariq Malik
SpaceX says cryptocurrency billionaire will fly Starship to Mars
SpaceX just announced that private Fram2 Dragon commander Chun Wang, cryptocurrency billionaire explorer, will lead the 1st Starship flyby of Mars, which will also swing by the moon, a surprise announcement as we wait for the V3 launch.
“So it’s going to be a fly by mission of Mars,” Wang said in a recorded video. A lot of people talk about Mars. We like Mars, we’re gonna land on Mars. We’re gonna do a colony on Mars, but let’s get it started with a flyby.
Here’s what Wang did on Fram2.
Tariq Malik
Fueling underway for Starship Flight 12
SpaceX is now fueling the Starship V3 rocket with the hundreds of thousands of gallons of propellant needed for launch.
This Starship Flight 12 is launching from Pad 2, a new launch pad designed for Starship V3.
“We’re loading about 20% faster on Pad 2 than we did on Pad 1,” SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said in live commentary.
Starship uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen for propellant during launch.
Tariq Malik
SpaceX is LIVE: Weather great for Starship Flight 12 launch
SpaceX is LIVE for today’s launch of the SpaceX Starship Flight 12 test flight of the first ever Version 3, or V3, of Starship.
You can watch the launch live on our homepage and at the top of this page here.
SpaceX’s Dan Huot says that upper level winds are what delayed today’s launch from 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT) to 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT). But the weather now looks great for launch, he says.
He’s now going over the differences of Starship V3 to Starship V2.
Today, we’re now carrying the heaviest payload ever carried on Starship,” Huot said. It’s carrying 22 dummy Starlink internet satellites.
Tariq Malik
Starship V3 ‘go’ for fueling, SpaceX says
SpaceX has given the go-ahead to fuel the massive Starship V3 megarocket, its Ship upper stage and Super Heavy first stage, for launch.
“The Starship team is go for prop load,” SpaceX wrote on X.
Liftoff remains on track for Starship V3’s Flight 12 launch at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT).
Starship uses liquid oxygen and liquid methane to launch the towering 408-foot tall rocket into space. The first stage alone is powered by 33 Raptor engines.
Our Spaceflight Writer Josh Dinner has this story on what upgrades make SpaceX’s Starship V3 stand apart. Check it out.
Tariq Malik
SpaceX Starship V3 Gets NEW LAUNCH TIME: 7:30 pm ET
NEW LAUNCH TIME: SpaceX has pushed the launch of Starship Flight 12 back a bit more.
The first Starship V3 megarocket will now launch no earlier than 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT) today after another slip, according to SpaceX’s Starship Flight 12 mission page. Our launch livestream will now begin at 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT).
“Now targeting 6:30 p.m. CT for liftoff of Starship,” SpaceX wrote in a new social media update. Again, there was not a reason given for the delays today so far.
SpaceX’s 90-minute launch window runs from 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT) through 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT) for the Flight 12 mission at its Starbase test site in South Texas. A backup day may be available on Friday if needed.
Tariq Malik
NEW LAUNCH TIME: SpaceX Starship V3 launch now @ 7 p.m. ET
SpaceX has slightly delayed the launch of its Starship V3 test flight by 30 minutes.
Liftoff of Starship Flight 12 is now set for no earlier than 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT). It will be 6 p.m. local time at SpaceX’s Starbase, Texas launch site at the time. Our launch webcast from SpaceX will now begin at 6:15 p.m. EDT (2215 GMT), 45 minutes before launch.
SpaceX did not give a specific reason for the launch delay.
“Now targeting 6:00 p.m. CT for liftoff of Starship,” the company wrote in a social media update on X.
SpaceX has a 90-minute window for today’s Starship launch. It opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT) and closes at 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT).
The stakes are extremely high for SpaceX with today’s Starship Fligth 12 launch. Our Spaceflight Editor Mike Wall lays out the stakes for SpaceX’s Starship V3 test flight in our feature here.
Tariq Malik
SpaceX on track for 6:30 p.m. EDT launch window
Boca Chica Beach closed to the public this morning, as SpaceX continues gearing up for the launch of Starship Flight 12.
It’s the first Starship flight of the year, and ends a seven-month hiatus since Flight 11 last October. This is also the first launch of Starship Version 3 (V3), and has a lot riding on the mission’s success.
SpaceX will launch its 1st-ever Starship V3 megarocket today. The stakes couldn’t be higher
SpaceX confirmed they are still proceeding toward a launch this evening in a post on X. You can watch the mission live here at Space.com, or on SpaceX’s website. Coverage is scheduled to begin at 5:45 p.m. EDT (2145 GMT), or about 45 minutes prior to liftoff during a launch window from 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT), until 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT, April 22).
On track for today’s Starship flight test. The launch window is from 5:30 p.m. CT – 7 p.m. CT and live coverage starts ~45 minutes before launch https://t.co/vwvur0GZdDMay 21, 2026
Starship V3 launching today
The sun has risen on SpaceX’s newest Starship rocket, and the company is progressing toward a launch this evening during a window that opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT).
The 1.5-hour window is the first time this year that SpaceX will attempt to launch its Starship prototype rocket, and today’s V3 variant is the first mission for the new, upgraded build.
Today’s suborbital flight is expected to last about an hour. Neither the Super Heavy booster or Ship upper stage will attempt recoveries back at SpaceX’s Starbase facility. Instead, both will perform landing burns for soft splashdowns at sea.
Coverage of today’s launch is scheduled to begin at 5:45 p.m. EDT (2145 GMT). You can watch it live here at Space.com courtesy of SpaceX, or directly via the company’s website; coverage will start about 45 minutes before liftoff.
SpaceX completes Starship V3 wet dress rehearsal
The public beach next to SpaceX’s Starbase launch and test facility was closed today (May 20), between about 6:30 a.m. EDT (1030 GMT) and 2 p.m. EDT (1830 GMT), while the company completed a wet dress rehearsal on the rocket and ground systems.
Ahead of tomorrow’s scheduled 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT) launch window, SpaceX ran the vehicle through a full simulated countdown, including tanking operations with the rocket’s cryogenically-cooled liquid oxygen and liquid methane propellants.
Starship stacked ahead of launch
Starship is back at the pad.
SpaceX rolled Super Heavy (Booster 19) and its Starship upper stage (Ship 39) back to pad 2 at the company’s Starbase facility yesterday, stacking the pair ahead of tomorrow’s test launch.
Today (May 20), SpaceX will perform a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) on the vehicle, simulating mission countdown procedures and fully fueling the rocket, but without an engine ignition. If all goes according to plan, today’s WDR will be the last major test of Starship before tomorrow’s liftoff, currently scheduled during a 1.5-hour launch window that opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT).
It will be the debut launch for the Starship Version 3 (V3), which features several upgrades compared to previous designs, and is meant to be a step toward qualifying the vehicle as the lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis program and operational missions to launch SpaceX’s Starlink satellites and future orbital data center vehicles.
Starship stacked on the pad at Starbase pic.twitter.com/aYM9xw8BVjMay 20, 2026
SpaceX Starship Flight 12 will now launch on May 21
The 12th test flight of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket has slipped yet again, to Thursday evening (May 21). That’s the second delay in the past two days; SpaceX had originally targeted Tuesday (May 19) for the launch but pushed it to Wednesday (May 20). And now Wednesday is off the table as well.
Starship Flight 12 is currently targeted to lift off from SpaceX‘s Starbase site in South Texas on Thursday, during a 90-minute window that opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT; 5:30 local time in Texas). You can watch it here at Space.com when the time comes.
The test flight will send Starship’s upper stage on a suborbital trajectory partway around the world, with splashdown coming in the Indian Ocean off Western Australia about 65 minutes after liftoff. Starship’s Super Heavy first stage will make a controlled splashdown of its own in the Gulf of Mexico about seven minutes after launch.
Flight 12 will mark the debut of Starship Version 3 (V3), the biggest and most powerful iteration of the rocket to date. It features many upgrades over its predecessors, which helps explain the long gap in Starship flights. The megarocket last took to the sky in October 2025.
Tariq Malik
What time is Starship V3 launch? Road closure clues
With SpaceX’s Starship V3 test flight just a few days away, I thought it might be helpful to make a guide to the timing of the mission.
In my latest story – helpfully titled “What time is SpaceX’s Starship V3 launch on May 20? (Starship Flight 12 timeline)” – I’ve laid out a what has become a fairly standard timeline for SpaceX’s Starship launches. Based on the information we have now, it is a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Here’s the basics:
On Wednesday, May 20, SpaceX will attempt to launch its Starship V3 at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT). It will actually be 5:30 p.m. local time at SpaceX’s Starbase, Texas launch site.
SpaceX’s livestream of the launch will begin about 45 minutes BEFORE liftoff, so you’ll want to tune in around 5:45 p.m. EDT (2145 GMT).
HOWEVER! SpaceX has said the launch window opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT, so there is wiggle room and the exact time could change. In the past, Starship launch windows have varied from 30 minutes to 2 hours. So it’s possible the launch time will be later what SpaceX has said.
The launch day could change as well. In fact it already has. As I say in my piece, SpaceX initially aimed for a May 19 launch, but pushed the Starship flight back 24 hours without explanation (probably for more preflight checks).
But TODAY, we received a new road closure alert from Starbase, Texas officials. That alert states that the town is closing off public access to the roads around SpaceX’s Starbase test site (which is near a public beach), from May 19 through the end of May 21, which suggests a potential back up launch day of at least May 21 is available.
Tariq Malik
SpaceX Starship Flight 12 will now launch on May 20
Hello, Space Fans, and welcome to our coverage of SpaceX’s newest Starship rocket, the Starship V3 booster, which will launch the much-anticipated Flight 12 test flight this week.
We were expecting the launch to occur on Tuesday, May 19, but over the weekend SpaceX updated its plans and pushed the launch back by 24 hours. SpaceX’s Flight 12 Starship V3 launch is now scheduled for no earlier than Wednesday (May 20) from Pad 2 at the company’s Starbase, Texas test site. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT).
It’s been seven long months since SpaceX’s Starship Flight 11 launch last fall. In 2025, SpaceX launched five Starship test flights, but Flight 12 will be the first Starship mission of 2026.
A lot is riding on this flight. NASA needs Starship to work in order to serve as the lander for its Artemis 4 astronauts during a lunar landing mission in 2028. SpaceX is relying on the fully reusable Starship to dramatically lower launch costs for its human spaceflight projects, Starlink internet satellites and plans for orbital data centers.
SpaceX has yet to launch a Starship into orbit or on a mission with an actual payload (though recent flights have carried dummy Starlink satellites).
Flight 12 will do much the same as its predecessors. It will launch a Starship upper stage on a suborbital flight that will make a water-based landing and splashdown in the Indian Ocean. During the flight, the Ship will deploy 20 dummy Starlink satellites, and two modified probes that will use cameras to beam photos of the Ship back to Earth.
The Super Heavy booster, meanwhile, will return to Earth to make a water-based landing and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast from Starbase.
Future Starship launches will likely attempt to return both the Super Heavy and Starship upper stage to the two pads at Starbase, where they will be caught by the giant metal arms of SpaceX’s “Mechazilla” pad structure. Those landings and captures are a core plan of the reusability of the Starship system, and SpaceX has already captured Super Heavy on its Pad 1 several times.
Tariq Malik
