Watch Live: SpaceX Starship launches on 12th test flight [May 22, 2026]

YouTube ^ | Started streaming 79+ minutes ago | Spaceflight Now

[SunkenCiv]

Watch live as SpaceX debuts the latest version of its revolutionary Starship launcher on the 12th test flight for the program. Liftoff of the Version 3 integrated Starship vehicle from a new launch pad at Starbase in Texas is scheduled during a launch window that opens at 5:30 p.m. CDT / 6:30 p.m. EDT / 2230 UTC on Friday, May 22. 

The mission will see splashdowns of the Super Heavy booster (Booster 19) in the Gulf of Mexico and the Starship upper stage (Ship 39) in the Indian Ocean. 

The Starship upper stage will deploy 20 Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, and two specially modified Starlink satellites that will attempt to beam back imagery of Starship's thermal tiles. 

Watch Live: SpaceX Starship launches on 12th test flight | Live 
Spaceflight Now | 469K subscribers | lots watching now | Started streaming 79 minutes ago

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Travel
KEYWORDS: elonmusk; spaceflightnow; spacex; starship; superheavy

[SunkenCiv]

SpaceX feed.

[SunkenCiv]

No, really.

[catbertz]

Fingers crossed for a smooth, spectacular test flight!! 🔥🚀🍺😀

[BenLurkin]

bttt

[markman46]

back again for try 2

[Red Badger]

Communication lost with booster coming back...........

[Theophilus]

Ship payload deploying...

[butlerweave]

Did the booster make a very big splash ? LOL

[Red Badger]

Looks like a giant juke box mechanism.........

[Robert A Cook PE]

Couple of bubbles.
Booster:
Lost an engine on the way up in the booster.
Good shutdown, then good hot stage separation.
Proceeded down for a while, but then either tumbled and blew up. Or blew up and then tumbled.
Was never intended to “land” back on the launch pad, but disappointing that it did not get to the into-ocean landing practice.
Starship.
Lost one of 3 big vacummum engines after starup.
3 of 3 small engines ran apparently as expected.
Ran the good 2 engines longer than expected if all 3 large vacuum engines were gong to run the whole time. Orbit was “nominal”, but lower than perfect.

Satellite dispense practice was apparently ok for the practice satellites.

[SunkenCiv]

This is the approximate itinerary from the SpaceX page, yesterday, should be okay.

Hr/Min/Sec Event

00:00:00 Liftoff
00:00:45 Max Q (moment of peak aerodynamic stress on the rocket)
00:02:22 Super Heavy MECO (most engines cut off)
00:02:24 Hot-staging (Starship Raptor ignition and stage separation)
00:02:30 Super Heavy boostback burn start
00:03:30 Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown
00:06:34 Super Heavy landing burn start
00:06:59 Super Heavy landing burn shutdown
00:08:11 Starship engine cutoff
00:17:37 Payload deploy demo start
00:27:15 Payload deploy demo complete
00:38:37 Raptor in-space relight demo
00:47:47 Starship entry
01:02:29 Starship is transonic
01:03:08 Starship is subsonic
01:05:06 Landing burn start
01:05:08 Landing flip
01:05:17 Landing burn 3 to 2 engines
01:05:24 Landing burn 2 to 1 engine
01:05:26 An exciting landing!

[SunkenCiv]

Whoops, I missed the post button...

[SunkenCiv]

It’s good to know they could make it up there with one engine out. Probably explains skipping the in-space relight demo (not enough time and distance).

[SunkenCiv]

Anyway, mighty nice. The pez mockup deployments went smooooth. At some point SpaceX may need to build a Super-Duper Heavy, three of those SH boosters strapped together like the Falcon Heavy config. 😁

[butlerweave]

All that white area on starship is that missing tiles ?

[Robert A Cook PE]

Thank you.

Update for this mission:
The camera-and-light satellite simulators both worked. Both deployed, and both powered up. Good images were shown.

So, the next step is “obviously” to get the camera sub-satellites to “go mobile” and fly around the Starship to look at all of the tiles and attachments.

(Greedy, aren’t we? Not good enough to get photos - Now, “all we want” is a drone flyby to look at everything.)

[SunkenCiv]

“I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we’ve passed the audition.” — John Lennon, Rooftop Concert

[Robert A Cook PE]

Controlled, on-target “soft landing” while under control during the last turn around simulating a return to base on land. It did explode (as planned) after touchdown in the Indian Ocean. (/Chinese copycat averted by the explosion.)

[GMThrust]

Very impressive.

[ETCM]

Soft landing in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX employees chanting USA! USA!