IFT-12 Starship Block 3 Slips Again to NET May 21 — Second Consecutive 24-Hour Delay as SpaceX Completes Final System Verifications

On May 19, 2026 — the day before the previously-announced NET May 20 launch window — SpaceX announced a second consecutive 24-hour delay for Starship Integrated Flight Test 12 (IFT-12), pushing the No Earlier Than date to Wednesday, May 21, 2026. The new target launch window opens at approximately 5:30 p.m. CDT (22:30 UTC) from Orbital Launch Pad 2 (OLP-2), Starbase, Boca Chica, Texas. The vehicle — Super Heavy Booster 19 mated to Ship 39 (the first V3-configuration Starship, standing 124.4 m tall) — remains fully stacked at OLP-2. SpaceX cited the need for additional system verification time; no vehicle anomalies have been reported. The FAA Flight Safety Approval issued May 11, 2026 remains valid. The second consecutive slip marks a total 48-hour extension from the original NET May 19 target. IFT-12 is the debut flight of Starship Block 3, featuring Booster 19 (first fully Raptor 3-powered Super Heavy, 33 Raptor 3 engines, full-duration static fire completed May 9) and Ship 39 V3 (25% greater propellant capacity, enhanced hexagonal thermal protection tiles, redesigned forward flap system). Mission objectives include: Super Heavy Booster 19 Gulf of Mexico splashdown (~7 min post-liftoff, no Mechazilla catch on first Block 3 flight); Ship 39 Indian Ocean splashdown (~65 min); deployment of 22 Starlink mass-simulator payloads from Ship 39's cargo bay; and V3 heat shield thermal imaging by two 'Starlink Observer' satellites during reentry. With the public S-1 IPO prospectus filing window closing May 22 and the IFT-12 launch now NET May 21, the Block 3 test flight is on track to occur before the S-1 window closes — consistent with the timeline analysts and Bloomberg previously identified as critical for SpaceX's $1.75T+ Nasdaq valuation target.