SpaceX has postponed this Starship launch until no earlier than May 21. This article has been updated with a change in the launch date and time.
SpaceX is getting ready to launch the first of its redesigned Starship from its Texas base and all eyes are on this flight as the massive rocket could potentially launch from Cape Canaveral by year’s end.
Currently, the Starship launch is set for no earlier than 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21 from Starbase, Texas, an area east of Brownsville. It will be the 12th launch overall of the fully stacked Starship and the first of this new Version 3 (V3).
For SpaceX, it’s all about getting back to the moon — and eventually to Mars. The 407-foot-tall launch system needs to meet many goals before it can act as a lander for NASA’s Artemis Program. The upper stage, referred to as ship, must not just reach orbit but eventually refuel in orbit in order travel to the moon.
Once the ship can meet these goals, SpaceX will send a modified version, known as HLS (Human Landing System), to rendezvous with the Orion spacecraft in lunar orbit. It will be there that the astronauts dock Orion with the HLS, transfer over, and land on the lunar surface.
As for this current launch, SpaceX is seeking to ensure its redesigned Starship can meet past goals before pushing it further. This includes monitoring how the ship and booster behave from launch through landing. The company also plans to intentionally stress the heatshield of the ship — by leaving one heatshield tile off — in order to assess performance.
SpaceX and Blue Origin in race to prepare lunar lander
While SpaceX is pushing to be ready for NASA’s Artemis plans, Blue Origin is also in the race to get a lander ready with its Mark II in development. Mark II will launch atop the company’s New Glenn rocket to meet Orion in lunar orbit. It is a simpler design than SpaceX’s Starship, not needing the multiple refuels in orbit to fly to the moon.
Current Artemis plans call for one —or both — of these landers to be tested during the 2027 Artemis III mission. NASA’s Orion spacecraft will dock with the lander in low Earth orbit, demonstrating this ability ahead of a planned 2028 moon landing during the Artemis IV mission.
With Starship already having been tapped to serve the initial moon landing mission, NASA is now seeking a quicker approach from both companies. SpaceX needs Starship to work soon if it is banking on meeting NASA’s deadlines.
And it’s not just NASA that’s waiting on Starship. With full reusability set to bring down costs, SpaceX’s Starship is contracted by multiple entities, including the Space Force.
Now with a fully redesigned SpaceX Starship about to take flight, the upcoming timeline is all riding on how well this week’s Flight 12 does.
Starship Flight 12 looking for a comeback
SpaceX’s Starship had a rough year during flights from Texas in 2025. Twice the company lost the ship shortly into the flight — a spectacle that was visible over Central Florida.
But then SpaceX made a comeback. The Oct. 2025 Flight 11 recorded numerous wins, including relighting a ship engine in space, deployment of mockup Starlink satellites, and an almost intact ship landing in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX plans to eventually bring the ship back to a launch tower, just as it already does with the Super Heavy booster.
Now with a major redesign, the question to be answered is: ‘Will it work?’
Upgrades to SpaceX Starship V3
The Version 3 of Starship features a sleek redesign of the Super Heavy booster’s 33 Raptor engines. The booster will also sport three larger “grid fins” instead of the four. These “grid fins” are used to steer the booster to a landing.
Also, the “grid fins” now sit lower on the booster. This was done to place them further from the impact of the ship’s engine during stage separation.
This Flight 12 is also occurring from a brand new Texas launch pad known as Pad 2. The launch tower has shorter catch arms, known as “chopsticks”. According to SpaceX, these new arms will move more quickly to track vehicles during catching operations, when another catch is attempted.
SpaceX will not be attempting to return the Super Heavy booster to the launch tower on this flight. Instead, it will seek a controlled landing in the Gulf of Mexico, renamed in the U.S. under executive order as the Gulf of America.
Meanwhile, the ship will coast in space upwards of an hour before a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. While SpaceX has yet to retrieve a fully intact ship, previous flights have come close.
Objectives of this flight mirror what was seen on Flight 10 and 11. This includes the deployment of 20 Starlink simulators from a payload door, testing of the ship’s heatshield, and a relight of an engine in space.
Florida set to see future Starship launch from Cape Canaveral
SpaceX has repeatedly stated that it will only bring Starship to Cape Canaveral when it is ready. With the goal of it coming to Florida this year, that means a lot needs to go right.
As Starship will fly out over the ocean, it’s not the rocket’s performance that worries locals. Residents are worried instead about road closures, noise and air pollution, infrastructure damage, temporary closures at Playalinda Beach and even disrupting industries such as fishing. NASA and the Space Force have already completed environmental assessments, finding no immediate impact.
Expect the 236-foot-tall first stage booster, referred to as Super Heavy, to be delivered to Cape Canaveral via the company’s new drone ship, “You’ll Thank Me Later”. The drone ship has been spotted at Kennedy Space Center and Port Canaveral, recently sporting modifications such as an added cover.
As for the 171-foot-tall ship, it is possible SpaceX will ferry those by drone ships as well. Last month, the company pulled its “Just Read the Instructions” drone ship from supporting Falcon 9 landings off the coast of Florida to support Starship operations. As Starship’s first stage booster, and eventually ship, are aimed at being caught back at launch towers this points toward “Just Read the Instructions” being utilized to transport Starship stages from Texas to Florida.
As for Florida launch pads, SpaceX is wasting no time. The launch site at Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A is nearing completion and the company has already paused its Falcon 9 launches from the nearby pad to focus on Starship operations. Work at Launch Complex 37 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station has also begun. That site is serving as the second Florida location.
Right down the road at KSC, SpaceX’s Gigabay on Roberts Road is deep into construction. The Gigabay is intended for stacking and preparing the 236-foot-tall Super Heavy boosters before launch.
And with “rapid reusability” planned for the Florida and Texas launches, SpaceX has already begun mass producing 1,000 Starship heatshield tiles per day in a facility at the Cape.
Even with all these Florida preparations in place, the timeline of Starship launching from Cape Canaveral likely rides on the results of this upcoming Flight 12. While no official Florida launch date has been provided, the Space Force has stated it is planned by year’s end.
Where to watch SpaceX Starship Flight 12?
SpaceX will live stream the upcoming Flight 12 beginning 45 minutes prior to lift off at SpaceX.com and on X.com.
FLORIDA TODAY will also have live coverage beginning 90 minutes prior to the liftoff at FloridaToday.com/Space.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX’s Starship V3 set to launch from Texas. What it means for Florida.
Reporting by Brooke Edwards, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
