SpaceX will attempt to launch its biggest and most powerful Starship megarocket ever on Wednesday (May 20), and if you’re hoping to watch the launch live, we have the details you need to make sure you don’t miss it.
Called Flight 12, the Starship mission will lift off from SpaceX‘s Starbase test site in the relatively new city of Starbase in South Texas. Liftoff is scheduled for Wednesday (May 20) during a 90-minute window that opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT; 5:30 p.m. local time).
What time is SpaceX’s Starship Flight 12 launch?
SpaceX is currently targeting Wednesday (May 20), for the launch of its Starship Flight 12 test flight, with liftoff scheduled for no earlier than 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT).
SpaceX is expected to have a 90-minute launch window for the flight, so Starship could fly any time between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. EDT (2230 to 0000 May 20 GMT).
We are awaiting updates from SpaceX for possible backup launch dates for the test flight, but the launch date has already changed a bit. SpaceX originally announced a launch target of Tuesday, May 19, but pushed it back two days before the potential liftoff. A reason was not made public, but the need for final testing and closeout work is likely.
Related: Read our SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy guide for a detailed look
Can I watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight 12 launch?
Yes, you’ll be able to watch the SpaceX’s Starship V3 launch online, but you do have several options to pick from.
First, there’s SpaceX (of course), which will provide live views of the launch — and likely tantalizing views from Starship itself — during a livestream that will begin 45 minutes before liftoff. So, starting at about 5:45 p.m. EDT (2145 GMT), you’ll be able to watch SpaceX’s Starship livestream on the Flight 12 mission page, as well as SpaceX’s X account and the X TV app.
Space.com will simulcast the SpaceX Flight 12 launch webcast on this page, as well as an our homepage and YouTube channel.
If you want to tune in a bit earlier to the Starship Flight 12 countdown, you can follow NASASpaceflight’s webcast on YouTube. This stream will begin at about 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT). NASASpaceflight has cameras all around the Starbase facility, and it will give live commentary during preflight activities, often including early looks at the Starship and Super Heavy vehicles before launch.
If you plan to watch the launch in person, please note that SpaceX does not have an official launch viewing site.
I often tell spectators to watch Starship launches from the Cameron Country Amphitheater in Isla Blanca Park, which is located on South Padre Island. The area offers a clear line of sight of Space’s Starbase test site (as well as the boats sailing around Port Isabel, which is nice).
Speaking of Port Isabel, the shore region facing Starbase at the port can also be a good spot to watch the launch from. Traffic can be heavy near launch time, so I suggest arriving in the area several hours in advance.
How long is SpaceX’s Starship Flight 12?
SpaceX’s Starship Flight 12 will last just over an hour and is expected to follow a similar flight profile as its last mission, Flight 11. But as we mentioned above, Flight 12 is testing the new Version 3 of Starship, so the mission will demonstrate a series of new upgrades to the reusable launch system.
“The flight test’s primary goal will be to demonstrate each of these new pieces in the flight environment for the first time, with each element of the Starship architecture featuring significant redesigns to enable full and rapid reuse that incorporate learnings from years of development and test,” SpaceX wrote in a mission overview.
This mission will mark the first Starship launch from SpaceX’s Pad 2 at Starbase, which has been upgraded with shorter, faster capture arms for a smoother recovery of future Super Heavy boosters and Ship upper-stage vehicles. Super Heavy also has been modified to remove one of its previous four grid fins for control during reentry and landing, but the remaining three are now larger.
Ship has also been modified. You can see a full overview of the Starship V3 changes here.
|
TIME (Hr:Min:Sec) |
EVENT |
|---|---|
|
T-0:50:00 |
Flight director polls for fueling |
|
T-0:38:53 |
Ship liquid oxygen loading begins |
|
T-0:35:00 |
Ship liquid methane loading begins |
|
T-0:34:43 |
Super Heavy liquid methane loading begins |
|
T-0:32:59 |
Super Heavy liquid oxygen loading begins |
|
T-00:21:30 |
Raptor engine chilldown begins on Ship and Super Heavy |
|
T-00:02:50 |
Super Heavy fueling complete |
|
T-00:02:10 |
Ship fueling complete |
|
T-00:0:30 |
Flight Director GO for launch poll |
|
T-00:00:17 |
Flame deflector activation |
|
T-00:00:03 |
Booster ignition sequence startup |
|
T-00:00:00 |
Liftoff (“Excitement Guaranteed,” SpaceX says) |
|
TIME (Hr:Min:Sec) |
FLIGHT EVENT |
|---|---|
|
T+00:00 |
Liftoff |
|
T+00:45 |
Ship/Super Heavy reach “Max Q” |
|
T+02:22 |
Super Heavy main engine cutoff |
|
T+02:24 |
Hot-staging separation/Ship Raptor engine ignition |
|
T+02:30 |
Super Heavy boostback burn startup |
|
T+03:30 |
Super Heavy boostback burn engine shutdown |
|
T+06:34 |
Super Heavy landing burn startup |
|
T+06:59 |
Super Heavy landing burn shutdown (followed by splashdown) |
|
T+08:11 |
Starship engine cutoff |
|
T+17:37 |
Payload deploy demo starts |
|
T+27:15 |
Payload deploy demo complete |
|
T+38:37 |
Ship engine relight demonstration |
|
T+47:47 |
Ship reentry |
|
T+01:02:29 |
Ship transonic |
|
T+01:03:08 |
Ship is subsonic |
|
T+01:05:06 |
Landing burn start |
|
T+01:05:08 |
Landing flip |
|
T+01:05:17 |
Landing burn three to two engines |
|
T+01:05:24 |
Landing burn two to one engines |
|
T+01:05:26 |
“An exciting landing!” SpaceX says. |
SpaceX will not attempt a return to launch site landing and capture of either the Super Heavy booster or the Ship upper stage during Flight 12.
“As this is the first flight test of a significantly redesigned vehicle, the booster will not attempt a return to the launch site for catch,” SpaceX wrote in the mission overview.
Instead, the Super Heavy booster will return to Earth to make a water landing off the coast of Starbase in the Gulf of Mexico. The Ship upper stage, meanwhile, will continue on a suborbital trajectory that will take it around the world to a landing and splashdown zone in the Indian Ocean.
While in space, Ship is expected to deploy 22 dummy Starlink satellites — a large increase from the eight or 10 simulated payloads on previous flights. Two of those dummy Starlinks are carrying cameras, SpaceX has said.
“The last two satellites deployed will scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators to test methods of analyzing Starship’s heat shield readiness for return to launch site on future missions,” SpaceX wrote. All 22 dummy Starlinks will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, as they will also fall from space over the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX has removed one heat shield tile to test aerodynamic stresses on nearby tiles when there’s a gap. The company will also attempt to mimic the stresses on Starship during a return to launch site and landing during reentry.
“Finally, the ship will perform experimental actions tested on previous flight tests, including a maneuver to intentionally stress the structural limits of the vehicle’s rear flaps and a dynamic banking maneuver to mimic the trajectory that future missions returning to Starbase will fly,” SpaceX wrote.
The Starship V3 vehicle is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere at the 47 minutes, 47 second mark of the flight, with its splashdown zone likely located off the coast of Western Australia about one hour and five minutes after liftoff.
What if Starship Flight 12 can’t launch?
If SpaceX is unable to launch Starship V3 on the Flight 12 test flight, it is possible the company could potentially try again on either Thursday, May 21, or Friday, May 22. In the past, the company has reserved at least two backup days for its Starship launches.
Last week, officials with Starbase, Texas, issued beach closures for Boca Chica Beach (near the launch site) only for Sunday, May 17, and Monday, May 18 — the days immediately ahead of the original planned liftoff on May 19. But those road closures were later revoked.
On Monday, May 18, Starbase officials issued a new road closure notice that indicated the area would blocked to the public from May 19 until May 21. That suggests that May 21 may be a viable backup day for Starship’s V3 test launch, but it may not be the only day. SpaceX has yet to confirm either way.
Visit Space.com on Starship V3 launch day for complete coverage of the Starship Flight 12 test flight.