SpaceX targets May 21 launch for Flight 12, debuting redesigned Starship, Super Heavy, Raptor engines, and a new Starbase pad focused on full rapid reuse.
Key Takeaways
Flight 12 is a first-flight-test of significantly redesigned vehicles; booster targets offshore Gulf of America landing, not a return-to-site catch.
Payload demo deploys 20 Starlink simulators plus two modified Starlink satellites that will image Starship’s heat shield from orbit to validate readiness assessment methods.
A single heat shield tile is intentionally removed to measure aerodynamic load changes on adjacent tiles during reentry.
Planned experiments include a Raptor in-space relight, rear-flap stress maneuver, and a dynamic banking maneuver mimicking future return-to-Starbase trajectories.
Full countdown sequence published; hot-staging at T+2:24, booster landing burn at T+6:34, Starship entry at T+47:47, splashdown-style landing around T+1:05:26.
