SpaceX Confirms Starship IFT-12 Targeting May 12 — Revised Trajectory with Indian Ocean Splashdown for Ship 39

SpaceX confirmed in early May 2026 that Starship Integrated Flight Test 12 (Flight 12) is targeting May 12, 2026, with a revised mission profile: Ship 39 (Starship V3) will fly a suborbital trajectory with splashdown in the Indian Ocean, while Booster 19 (Super Heavy) will attempt a controlled descent and mechazilla tower catch at Starbase, Texas. The trajectory revision aligns with FAA range safety requirements and the V3 vehicle's enhanced performance envelope. Flight 12 is the first test of the V3 configuration — featuring 33 Raptor 3 engines on the booster — and will specifically test the docking port and propellant-transfer hardware for the first time, a key prerequisite for orbital refueling demonstrations required before Starship HLS can support a crewed lunar mission. The FCC communications license for IFT-12 is active through October 2026, enabling a multi-month launch window. NASA's Artemis III timeline (Earth-orbit rendezvous/docking test, targeting 2027) is directly contingent on Starship V3 demonstrating reliable orbital capability, making Flight 12 a critical milestone on the path to the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17. Internal propellant transfer was first demonstrated in-flight on IFT-3 (March 2024); ship-to-ship orbital refueling — requiring approximately 14+ tanker flights to fill a lunar HLS mission — remains a longer-term challenge not scheduled for IFT-12.