Flight 12 debuts a redesigned Starship, Super Heavy, and next-gen Raptor engine; launch window opens May 21 at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Key Takeaways
V3 Raptor debuts on Flight 12 with a sleeker design and reported 20% thrust increase over prior generations.
Booster will splashdown offshore in the Gulf of America rather than attempt a catch, as V3 is treated as a new vehicle requiring baseline validation.
20 Starlink V3 simulator payloads plus two modified Starlink satellites will be deployed; the modified sats will image Starship’s heat shield from orbit.
A single heat shield tile is intentionally removed to measure aerodynamic load on adjacent tiles during reentry.
Ship will stress-test rear flaps and execute a banking maneuver mimicking future Starbase return trajectories; a Raptor in-space relight is also planned.
Hacker News Comment Review
Commenters view Flight 12 as a schedule-critical milestone: delays to V3 validation directly compress the timeline for in-space propellant transfer demos needed before any lunar landing attempt.
Consensus is that skipping booster catch is the right call for a heavily redesigned vehicle, though some initially misread the splashdown as a barge landing.
Weather risk was flagged for launch day, with one commenter citing 70% storm probability suggesting a likely scrub.
Notable Comments
@GMoromisato: argues that if 2026 repeats 2025’s failure streak, a pre-2030 Moon landing becomes implausible and in-space refueling demos must begin by July/August.
@valine: highlights that modified Starlink satellites imaging the heat shield could produce the first third-person views of Starship in space.
