Starship | Flight 12
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12th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. Maiden Flight of Starship V3
Mission Profile
Launch Date
Apr 30
2026
Time
00:00
UTC
Rocket
Starship
V3
Site
ll-location-143
ll-pad-235
Orbit
Sub
Suborbital
history
Launch Timeline
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Go for Prop Load
Flight Director conducts a poll and verifies "Go" for propellant load.
Ship Prop Load
Starship (Ship) liquid methane and liquid oxygen loading begins.
Booster Prop Load
Super Heavy (Booster) propellant loading begins.
Engine Chill
Raptors are conditioned for ignition.
Deluge Activation
Flame deflector (deluge) activates; massive water sprays protect the pad.
Raptor Ignition
The 33 engines on the Super Heavy booster ignite.
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Liftoff
The 120-meter stack clears the tower.
Max Q
Peak aerodynamic pressure.
MECO
Most Engines Cutoff: 30 of the 33 booster engines shut down.
Hot-Staging
Starship upper stage ignites while still attached, pushing itself away from the booster.
Boostback Burn
Super Heavy reignites its center engines to reverse course back toward Texas.
Hot-Stage Jettison
Vented interstage ring is discarded to save weight.
Ship Ascent
All 6 Raptor engines (3 sea-level, 3 vacuum) fire to reach orbital velocity.
Booster Landing Burn
Booster slows down as it approaches the launch tower.
Ship Coast
Ship enters its coast phase (usually around ~150 km altitude).
Booster Catch
Booster is caught mid-air by the "Chopstick" arms of the Mechazilla tower.
Ship Demos
Pez payload door operation and/or propellant transfer tests.
Post-Catch
The booster is safely secured back on the launch mount.
SECO
Second Engine Cutoff: ship reaches its target sub-orbital or orbital path.
Atmospheric Entry
Ship hits the atmosphere at roughly Mach 25; plasma can block communications.
Transonic/Subsonic
Ship slows below the speed of sound, using its four "ELONgate" flaps to steer.
Landing Flip
Ship fires its engines and flips from a horizontal belly-flop to vertical orientation.
Splashdown/Landing
Ship hovers briefly, then touches down on the water (or landing pad).
Mission Payload