IFT-12 Starship Block 3 Delayed to NET May 19 After Integrated Tanking Test; Retargets OLP-2 Debut

On May 12, 2026, SpaceX announced that Starship Integrated Flight Test 12 (IFT-12) would move to No Earlier Than (NET) Tuesday, May 19, 2026, with the launch window opening at 5:30 p.m. CDT (22:30 UTC) from Orbital Launch Pad 2 (OLP-2) at Starbase, Boca Chica, Texas. The delay follows the completion of an integrated tanking test with Booster 19 and Ship 39 that provided additional vehicle data, and the decision to allow more time for checkout of the first Block 3 / Version 3 Starship configuration. The IFT-12 vehicle — Booster 19 (33 Raptor 3 engines) mated with Ship 39 (the first V3 upper stage), standing 124.4 m tall — represents a generational leap: the V3 Starship features greater propellant volume, more efficient Raptor 3 engines, and a near-complete heat shield with only one tile intentionally removed as a thermal data point (a dramatic improvement over previous flights). Booster 19 had successfully completed a full 33-engine static fire at OLP-2 on May 9. For IFT-12, both Booster 19 (targeting a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico ~7 minutes after liftoff) and Ship 39 (targeting an aquatic landing in the Indian Ocean ~1 hour into the mission) will attempt ocean landings rather than a Mechazilla tower catch — standard practice for the first flight of a new configuration. The new May 19 window keeps IFT-12 within the same launch license and FCC authorization valid through October 2026.