Starship IFT-12 Block 3 Launches Successfully — First V3 Flight; Raptor Relight in Space Achieved; Ship 39 Splashes Down in Indian Ocean; Booster 19 Lost to Off-Nominal Burn

SpaceX's Starship IFT-12 lifted off at 22:30 UTC (5:30 p.m. CDT) on May 22, 2026, from Orbital Launch Pad 2 (OLP-2) at Starbase — the inaugural launch from the second orbital launch mount. Booster 19 (33 Raptor 3 engines, Block 3 architecture) separated cleanly and Ship 39 (V3, 124.4 m) continued toward orbit. Mission outcomes: (1) Ship 39 successfully completed its planned Indian Ocean splashdown approximately 65 minutes after launch, with the V3 heat-shield performing well under observation from two camera-equipped Starlink observer satellites; (2) a single Raptor Vacuum engine was successfully relighted in space — the first-ever in-space Raptor ignition, validating a key propulsion capability needed for orbital refueling and interplanetary missions; (3) all 22 Starlink mass-simulators (20 standard + 2 heat-shield observer sats) were deployed from Ship 39's cargo bay. However, Booster 19 experienced an off-nominal boostback burn in which several Raptor engines in the outer ring failed to ignite, resulting in insufficient deceleration. The booster followed a deviant trajectory and impacted the Gulf of Mexico at transonic speed — destroying the vehicle rather than achieving the planned controlled splashdown. SpaceX engineers noted the off-nominal burn may be linked to a fuel distribution anomaly in the Raptor 3 outer ring during the rapid boostback ignition sequence. Musk described the flight as 'epic' and noted that the in-space Raptor relight and Ship splashdown met all primary objectives. A Mechazilla catch of Booster 19 was not planned for this inaugural Block 3 flight; the booster loss does not delay the program. IFT-13 planning will incorporate analysis of the boostback anomaly.