SpaceX is preparing for the next major test of its Starship launch system, with liftoff targeted for Tuesday evening from the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas. The mission, known as Starship Flight 12, is scheduled to launch during a window opening at 6:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 19.
The flight will mark the first launch of heavily upgraded versions of both the Starship upper stage and the Super Heavy booster, as pressure builds on SpaceX to prove out its hardware for use in NASA’s Artemis program.
When Will Space Starship Launch?
The launch window opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT (local time 5:30 p.m. CDT) on Tuesday, May 19, from SpaceX’s newly upgraded launch pad at Starbase. However, as with all developmental missions, launch timing remains subject to technical checks and weather conditions, meaning delays are possible.
The launch will be streamed live on SpaceX.com, YouTube and X (Twitter) from about 30 minutes before the launch.
First Test For Next-Generation Starship Hardware
Tuesday’s mission will debut redesigned versions of both components of the launch vehicle — the Starship upper stage and the Super Heavy booster. The latter will fly with the latest evolution of the Raptor engine, with all 33 engines expected to ignite during ascent.
Unlike some recent test flights for Starship, Tuesday’s flight will not include an attempt to return the Super Heavy booster to the launch tower using the massive mechanical arms commonly referred to as “chopsticks.” Instead, SpaceX plans for the booster to perform a controlled offshore landing in the Gulf of America.
Starlink Deployment And Heat Shield Experiments
Once in space, the Starship upper stage is expected to deploy 22 Starlink simulators roughly matching the size and shape of next-generation SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.
Two of those simulators will conduct imaging operations focused on Starship’s heat shield, transmitting data and photographs back to mission control. Several heat shield tiles on the spacecraft have intentionally been painted white to simulate damage and create visual targets for inspection systems. Engineers have also deliberately removed one thermal protection tile entirely to study how neighboring tiles react to aerodynamic forces during reentry.
Starship And NASA’s Artemis Moon Landings
Starship remains central to SpaceX’s long-term plans for deep-space exploration. The fully reusable system is designed to carry more than 100 tons of cargo and eventually transport crews to the moon and Mars. However, the pressure is now on SpaceX to test Starship — particularly its Starship Human Landing System (HLS), a modified version it’s building for NASA’s Artemis program. On March 3, NASA revealed a revision in the Artemis program. Artemis 3 (scheduled for launch in mid-2027) has now been re-classified as a test mission during which its Orion spacecraft will rendezvous and dock in low Earth orbit with commercial lunar landers — SpaceX’s Starship HLS and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon.
NASA’s Lunar Lander: Starship Vs Blue Moon
The original plan had been for Starship to be refueled in Earth orbit — something that would take 15 flights of other Starships — before going into lunar orbit, where it would rendezvous with NASA’s crew in Orion.
It’s now a race between SpaceX and Blue Origin, with NASA intending to test whichever lander is ready for its Artemis 3 crew. NASA announced on May 4 that testing of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1) lunar lander has been completed inside a Thermal Vacuum Chamber A at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
