IFT-12 FAA Flight Safety Approval Cleared; NASA CRS-34 Prelaunch Conference Confirms May 12 — Dual-Launch Day Locked In

On May 11, 2026, two critical pre-launch milestones were confirmed for SpaceX's historic May 12 dual-launch attempt. First, the FAA issued its flight safety approval for Starship IFT-12 — removing the final regulatory barrier for the Block 3 / V3 Starship maiden flight from Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase, Boca Chica, Texas, targeting 5:30 p.m. CDT. The FCC communications license for IFT-12 remains valid through October 2026. Second, NASA held its CRS-34 prelaunch media teleconference at 11:00 a.m. EDT, with NASA and SpaceX officials confirming the May 12 at 7:16 p.m. EDT launch window from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — delivering ~6,500 lbs of science experiments and crew supplies to the ISS, with autonomous docking at the Harmony module's forward port targeted for 9:50 a.m. EDT on May 14 (May 13 at 6:50 p.m. EDT backup). Combined with NROL-172's successful launch earlier on May 11, SpaceX is positioned to launch three orbital-class missions within approximately 26 hours — NROL-172 (22:28 UTC May 11), IFT-12 Starship (22:30 UTC May 12), and CRS-34 Dragon (23:16 UTC May 12) — a launch tempo that would have been unthinkable for any single company as recently as five years ago. The IFT-12 vehicle (Booster 19 + Ship 39 V3, 124.4 m combined height) will fly a suborbital arc with both stages targeting ocean splashdowns; no Mechazilla tower catch is attempted on this first Block 3 flight.