The SpaceX Starship Space Rocket Launched for the Twelfth Time: Some Problems but Many Innovations
In the past few days, there has been extensive discussion about the documents related to SpaceX's Initial Public Offering (IPO), but Elon Musk's company had another major operation to complete: the twelfth launch (Flight 12) of the Starship rocket. The launch had been postponed several times, the last just before the takeoff on May 22 due to a problem with the Quick Disconnect Arm retention system of the Ship, which did not activate correctly, leading to a one-day delay.
Watch Starship's twelfth flight test — SpaceX (@SpaceX), May 22, 2026
As we have written in the past, this launch was a crucial milestone in SpaceX's development program. Super Heavy Booster 19 and Ship 39 are the first units of the third generation to be launched, introducing many changes, both known and undisclosed due to ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) restrictions. This version will be the one that becomes operational in the future, delivering the first payloads into orbit and forming the basis for solutions for the Artemis program, including the Starship HLS lunar lander, which will be used in the coming year.
Yesterday, some news related to the future of the development program and the start of commercial operations was also announced. In particular, SpaceX intends to establish a network of Starlink satellites around the Moon to provide Gigabit-class connectivity everywhere on the surface of the satellite for future crewed missions.
Another piece of news involves billionaire Chun Wang, commander of the private commercial mission Fram2, who will take part in a Starship mission that will arrive near the lunar surface (without landing), the same mission as Dennis Tito. Wang will also be aboard the interplanetary mission directed toward Mars, which could occur in the coming years.
The twelfth launch of the SpaceX Starship rocket
The takeoff of Super Heavy Booster 19 and Ship 39 took place at 0:30 on May 23 (Italian time), within the planned 90-minute window for the day and with a delay of about 24 hours from the previous announcement. The launch of Flight 12 occurred for the first time from Pad 2 at Starbase (Texas), following a trajectory shifted further south than seen in the past to reduce interference with flights in the Florida area. At the base of the first stage of Starship, there were still 33 engines fueled by methane and liquid oxygen, but this time, the Raptor 3 engines were used, featuring a revised, simplified design with better performance than the previous generation.
After leaving Pad 2, the spacecraft began its ascent, reaching Max-Q (maximum aerodynamic pressure point) in just under a minute, where an unexpected shutdown of one of the atmospheric Raptor 3 engines was observed. This is the first time these engines have been used for flight, so issues are anticipated.
The stage separation moment using the hot staging technique. Despite the unforeseen issue, after about 2.5 minutes, some engines of the first stage shut down, allowing the use of the hot staging technique for stage separation. At this point, Super Heavy Booster 19 began its atmospheric reentry phase to land gently. As this was new version hardware, the company did not want to risk damaging the ground structures during this first launch of the third generation. Due to an unspecified problem (for now), the first stage did not land in the expected area of the Gulf of Mexico, likely destroying itself on impact with the water. This may result in the inability to recover the first stage via Mechazilla during Flight 13.
One of the last images of Super Heavy Booster 19. The second stage of Starship continued its suborbital mission toward the coasts of Australia with a malfunctioning Raptor 3 Vacuum (RVac) engine. Before landing, Ship 39 performed some important tests in view of future operational missions. In particular, after about 18 minutes (and for about 10 minutes), mass simulators of third-generation Starlink satellites were released through an opening called PEZ Dispenser. Notably, the last two were equipped with cameras capable of capturing images of the thermal shield, using the white tiles visible before the launch as a visual reference. These units, lacking engines, will soon re-enter the atmosphere and be completely destroyed.
The release of mass simulators of the Starlink V3 satellites. The view of Starship Ship 39 from one of the Starlink satellites. After the payload operations, Starship was supposed to reignite one of the atmospheric Raptor 3 engines in space. This test, no longer performed, would have been useful in future test missions and also in operational ones to modify the trajectory of the vehicle and to generally assess whether the engines' operation in microgravity works properly (a not infrequent issue).
Reentry and landing attempt
Just under 50 minutes after takeoff in Texas, the upper stage Ship 39 began the atmospheric reentry phase. The thermal shield was particularly stressed at this moment, needing to manage the heat and plasma surrounding the stage's surface directed toward the Earth.
The second stage of Starship then reignited the engines to perform the "belly-flop" maneuver, which allows the vehicle to position vertically relative to the landing surface, a crucial operation for recovery with the Mechazilla tower and the “sticks,” not before Flight 14.
SpaceX also attempted to reduce the engines needed for ending operations, moving from 3 engines to 2, and then shortly after, to a single Raptor 3 engine.
The end of Ship 39 after a successful landing. In general, despite the problems that occurred during this Flight 12, the third generation of Starship seems to be a convincing step forward considering the many innovations (which represent several critical points). Some concerns remain about the ability to realize a functional lunar lander ready for testing by the end of 2027 for the Artemis III mission and the uncertainty of what will happen after the IPO with the future launches being “evaluated” by shareholders.