IFT-12 Starship Block 3 Pre-Flight Testing Continues at Starbase — NET May 19 Holding as SpaceX Completes Vehicle Checkout

SpaceX continued Starship Integrated Flight Test 12 (IFT-12) pre-launch preparations at Orbital Launch Pad 2 (OLP-2), Starbase, Boca Chica, Texas, on May 14, 2026, with the NET May 19 launch target holding firm. Engineers were completing multiple vehicle checkout milestones — including three key pre-flight tests on the Block 3 / V3 Starship configuration. The IFT-12 vehicle consists of Super Heavy Booster 19 (equipped with 33 Raptor 3 engines and completed a full-duration 33-engine static fire on May 9, 2026) mated with Ship 39, the first V3-configuration Starship upper stage. The combined stack stands 124.4 m tall on OLP-2 — the first-ever full-configuration V3 Starship vehicle on a launch pad. Key IFT-12 mission parameters: launch window opens 5:30 p.m. CDT (22:30 UTC) on May 19; Booster 19 targets a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 7 minutes post-liftoff; Ship 39 targets an aquatic landing in the Indian Ocean approximately 1 hour into the mission; no Mechazilla tower catch is planned for this first Block 3 flight. The mission will also deploy 22 Starlink simulator payloads — mass-representative spacecraft matching next-generation Starlink dimensions to validate Starship's deployment mechanism. IFT-12 carries the full FAA flight safety approval (issued May 11) and FCC authorization valid through October 2026.