Starship IFT-12 Confirmed for Mid-May 2026 — Block 3 / V3 Debut at OLP-2; Booster 19 + Ship 39 Stack

Multiple outlets confirmed on May 4, 2026 that Starship Integrated Flight Test 12 (IFT-12) is targeting a mid-May 2026 launch window, with May 12 as the first opportunity and daily windows extending through May 18. The mission will mark the maiden flight of the Starship Block 3 / V3 configuration — described by SpaceX engineers as a clean-sheet redesign featuring Raptor 3 V3 engines, a taller vehicle (124.4 m / 408.1 ft, ~1.2 m taller than V2), redesigned grid fins, and enhanced propellant mass fractions for improved performance. The Block 3 Starship is designed to deliver more than 100 metric tons to low Earth orbit in a fully reusable configuration — nearly three times V2's demonstrated capacity. IFT-12 will fly from Orbital Launch Pad 2 (OLP-2) at Starbase, Texas for the first time, a brand-new facility capable of hosting additional concurrent Starship programs. The vehicle stack — Booster 19 and Ship 39 — completed all major pre-flight milestones in April 2026, including a 33-engine full-duration static fire and a 6-engine Ship static fire. The flight profile is a suborbital arc; both Booster 19 and Ship 39 are targeting ocean splashdowns rather than tower or ship catches, to validate the new Block 3 architecture before attempting recovery operations. FAA flight-safety approval is already granted, and the FCC communications license is valid through October 2026.