SpaceX’s First Starship V3 Launch Is Today: Watch Live

SpaceX is preparing to launch Starship on its twelfth integrated flight test (IFT-12) on May 21, 2026. The mission will mark the official debut of the upgraded Starship V3 configuration.

When is the launch?

The target date is Thursday, May 21, 2026. The 90-minute launch window opens at 5:30 p.m. CDT (6:30 p.m. EDT / 22:30 UTC). As with any aerospace launch, timing is subject to change.

Starship V3 — Integrated Flight Test 12

• Pacific Time: May 21, 3:30 PM
• Eastern Time: May 21, 6:30 PM
• UTC: May 21, 10:30 PM
• London, England: May 21, 11:30 PM
• Berlin, Germany: May 22, 12:30 AM
• Sydney, Australia: May 22, 8:30 AM

Changing weather or a late technical issue could delay or scrub the launch.

Where to watch live

The event will be live-streamed across the company’s usual social platforms, with the official webcast beginning approximately 45 minutes before liftoff.

Watch on the official @SpaceX account, on SpaceX YouTube, or on the official SpaceX website.

What to expect: V3 debut

Flight 12 is a major step for the Starship program and will be the first flight of the new V3 architecture.

Starship’s twelfth flight test will debut the next generation Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, powered by the next evolution of the Raptor engine and launching from a newly designed pad at Starbase. The launch is targeted as early as Tuesday, May 19 → https://t.co/2gZQUxS6mm pic.twitter.com/JxmpL2WE4w

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 12, 2026

This heavily upgraded iteration of Starship is larger, features significant structural improvements and increased fuel capacity, and includes next-generation Raptor 3 engines. The launch will also be the first liftoff from the newly constructed Pad 2 at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas.

During the suborbital flight, several test objectives are planned. Because this is the first flight of a significantly redesigned ship, the booster will not be caught. It will be safely expended in the Gulf of Mexico and retrieved following its water landing.

Starship V3 will conduct a payload simulator deployment with 20 simulated Starlink satellites. Two of the simulators are modified to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit live imagery back for analysis. The team has also removed a single heat tile to measure aerodynamic and thermal stress during reentry.

Before splashdown, Starship will perform a banking reentry maneuver to mimic the trajectory required for a chopstick catch at Starbase on future missions.