SpaceX plans to launch its first Starship V3 vehicle during Flight Test 12 on Thursday, May 21. The test will mark the debut of an upgraded iteration of the fully integrated rocket system.
The Starship V3 represents incremental improvements over previous flight test vehicles. SpaceX has conducted eleven prior integrated flight tests of the Starship and Super Heavy booster combination, each mission revealing engineering data that informs design refinements.
Flight Test 12 will continue SpaceX's rapid-iteration testing program for the vehicle intended to support lunar landings and eventual Mars missions. The company targets sequential launches at shorter intervals than traditional aerospace development, using each flight to validate systems and gather performance telemetry.
SpaceX has not announced a specific launch window time as of the latest reporting. The company typically launches during daylight hours from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, allowing visual tracking of the vehicle's flight path and booster behavior.
Prior Starship flight tests have progressively demonstrated improved booster recovery, splashdown capabilities, and integrated systems performance. Flight 12 will test whatever refinements engineers incorporated into the V3 design based on data from previous missions. The specific test objectives and upgrades incorporated into this vehicle generation have not been detailed by SpaceX.