Overview
- Elon Musk said the debut of the upgraded Starship, designated IFT-12, is four to six weeks away, pointing to an early to mid May window.
- The V3 stack adds a taller Super Heavy booster and ship, larger propellant tanks, and new Raptor 3 engines that offer far more thrust than earlier versions.
- SpaceX has prepared for the flight with cryoproof tests of Ship 39, work on Booster 19, static fires, activation of a second launch pad at Starbase, and Raptor 3 integration.
- SpaceX faced delays after a late‑2025 test‑stand incident with an early V3 booster, which helped extend the gap since Flight 11 in October 2025.
- The company aims to push reusable payload capacity toward about 200 metric tons to low Earth orbit, a step seen as important for NASA’s lunar plans and large Starlink batches.