Starship Flight 12: Upgraded Hardware Heads for High-Stakes May 19 Test

SpaceX is set to launch Starship Flight 12 from Starbase, Texas, featuring redesigned Starship upper stage and Super Heavy booster. The launch window opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 19, with live streams on SpaceX.com, YouTube and X. The mission will test the new hardware, including a 33-engine Raptor burn, and, unlike some past flights, the booster will perform an offshore landing in the Gulf of Mexico rather than returning to the launch site. In space, the Starship upper stage is expected to deploy 22 Starlink simulators and conduct heat-shield experiments, with some tiles painted white to aid visual inspections. This test advances SpaceX’s Artemis program goals, as NASA plans Artemis 3 to rendezvous with a lunar lander in the future. Weather and technical checks may still cause delays.