Starship Flight 12, first V3 and Raptor 3 flight, reaches splashdown; booster fails boostback and is lost

SpaceX/Starship

Starship Flight 12 on May 22, 2026 marked the first flight of Starship and Super Heavy V3 with Raptor 3 engines, and the first from Pad 2 at Starbase. The ship lost one vacuum engine but reached its planned trajectory, deployed 20 Starlink simulators and two imaging satellites, and splashed down in the Indian Ocean. The booster failed to complete boostback and was lost in the Gulf.

• First V3 architecture and Raptor 3 engine flight; launched 6:33 p.m. EDT May 22, 2026 from Pad 2
• Ship deployed 20 Starlink simulators and two imaging satellites; targeted splashdown in Indian Ocean achieved
• Ship lost one vacuum engine but completed controlled atmospheric reentry with clean flip and landing burn
• Booster anomaly during return: could not light all engines for boostback, impacted in Gulf of Mexico