SpaceX Is READY For Starship Flight 12! Here's All You Need To Know!

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]We finally figured out what those mystery pipes on ship 39 are for. And the answer changes what Starship flight 12 might actually be about. This is no longer just a SpaceX test flight. Hidden in the aft section of ship 39 is hardware that points to something Starship has never done before.

[00:00:19]Something that if it works unlocks the entire solar system. But is that all PR blah blah or can we expect some Luna action soon? Is anyone ever going to finish a large lunar lander? Let's find out.

[00:00:35]My name is Felix. Welcome to What About It? Let's dive right in. Starship updates. Starbase is in full flight 12 mode. Everything SpaceX has done in the past 7 months is now culminating in these events. The wait was hard this time, but it is over now. On May 6th, booster 19 lit all 33 Raptor 3 engines on pad 2. And this time the firing went the full duration as planned. No abort, no early shutdown, 15 seconds roughly.

[00:01:05]Full throttle as well. SpaceX confirmed it later on X. After two aborted attempts during the previous campaign, SpaceX finally got the clean 33 engine burn they wanted. Just before the static fire itself, SpaceX also tested the new grid fins on booster 19. Watching those fins move is genuinely impressive because they are massive. Let me put the size in perspective. The version 3 super heavy grid fins are 50% larger than the previous design. About 7.5 m tall, about 3.75 m wide. That is taller than a two-story house. It is wider than a full-size pickup truck parked sideways.

[00:01:45]And if you stood a grown adult next to one, they'd barely reach halfway up. And despite the size jump, each fin still weighs only about 3 metric tons. SpaceX optimized the stainless steel design so the fins got bigger without getting heavier. Watching that much hardware articulate cleanly during the test is a reminder that these things are way more agile than they have any right to be.

[00:02:10]After the static fire, the next move was ship 39 itself. SpaceX rolled it from Mega Bay 2 down to the launch site. And for the first time ever, both a version three booster and a version three ship were at the same site at the same time.

[00:02:25]That is a milestone all on its own.

[00:02:27]Jordan's footage of the move and the stack is stunning. Search lights illuminated the rocket as it was slowly lifted. The sun rising in the background. Pure science fiction atmosphere. We've watched this kind of move many times now, but it just doesn't want to grow old on me. And now here's what made this stacking operation genuinely exciting. As the ship was being lifted for stacking, we got a much better look at the aft section. And it solved a mystery we've been chewing on for weeks. Remember those mystery pipes running through the aft flap hinge area?

[00:03:01]The ones we kept asking about, the ones nobody could explain? We can see where they go now. Inside the hinge area on the bottom of the ship facing downward, there is a metal wedge with four outlets visible on it. Both aft flap hinge housings have one. At first glance, those outlets look like RCS thrusters.

[00:03:21]In fact, that's almost certainly what they are. Two separate RCS assemblies, one on each side of the aft flap hinges facing downward. And the mystery pipes are very likely the propellant feed lines that supply them. That answers the question, but it raises a much bigger one. What does Starship need RCS thrusters down there for? The answer is in orbit refueling. Am mounted downward-facing thrusters enable the ship to perform precise translation maneuvers in space. Specifically, the kind of maneuvers you need for two Starships to dock with each other for propellant transfer. Combined with the cold gas thrusters in other locations on the vehicle, ship 39 should now have a maneuverability profile comparable to a Dragon capsule. More inertia, sure, because it is a much larger vehicle, but the same degree of freedom of movement.

[00:04:13]Mechanically, the system is elegant.

[00:04:15]Each thruster cluster has one thruster pointing in each direction. By mixing the output of those thrusters, you can produce thrust in any direction without needing a moving nozzle. This is the same fundamental approach you've seen on every maneuverable spacecraft going back to Apollo. Remember this? In 1962, President Kennedy famously announced that >> we choose to go to the moon.

[00:04:38]>> NASA looked at their options and then they picked the rocket scientists for this job, not the accountants. Because when the stakes are that high, expertise isn't optional. Think about it. You wouldn't put a geologist in charge of a rocket launch, and you wouldn't ask the pool boy to fly the capsule. Just like there's a reason why Morgan and Morgan is America's largest injury law firm. In highstakes situations, the wrong expert doesn't just underperform, they can cost you everything. The same logic applies when you're injured. Not all law firms are the same. Hire the wrong one and you may be beat before you even start. They have a proven track record of fighting for the people for over 35 years. That is why if you're ever injured, you can see if you have a case by checking out Morgan and Morgan, America's largest injury law firm with over 1,000 attorneys and more than $30 billion won for their clients. Their fee, it is free unless they win. For more information, you can go to forthepeople.com/whataboutit.

[00:05:39]Go to the link support whataboutit.

[00:05:41]Check it out today. All right, all safe.

[00:05:43]Back to Apollo. The Apollo service module had four big external RCS quads.

[00:05:48]one thruster pointing each way on each one of them. The difference today is integration. Modern systems pack the same capability into a single block with the nozzles integrated directly into the cone-shaped outlets. Cleaner, lighter, and less plumbing is exposed to space.

[00:06:05]We might even see SpaceX test these thrusters during flight 12. Whether or not that happens, the design tells us version 3 Starship was built with orbital refueling firmly in mind. The plumbing and thrusters are there and the capability is as well. And while we had ship 39 in the air for the lift, we also got the best look yet at the new version 3 heat shield around the engine section.

[00:06:29]And it confirms what SpaceX had been saying. Raptor 3 is almost not covered.

[00:06:33]The thermal protection only wraps the most heat sensitive areas. The TVC actuators get covered. Some shielding goes around the turbo pumps and that's about it. The engines themselves attached directly to the heat shield sitting underneath it exposed. This is a huge change from version two. The old design encapsulated almost the entire engine in heavy shielding to manage re-entry heat. Raptor 3 with its actively cooled power head doesn't need that. Less mass at the bottom of the rocket and much easier maintenance because every engine can be inspected and serviced without dismantling layers of shielding to reach it. And after the lift, ship 39 was stacked on top of booster 19. Perfect fit. And here's something I want to take a moment on.

[00:07:19]Compare this version three stack to a version two stack from any previous flight. Side by side, the difference is obvious. Version 3 looks cleaner, more refined, less like a prototype, more like a finished, sophisticated rocket.

[00:07:33]The achievement here is genuinely hard to overstate. The jump from V2 to V3 is huge. SpaceX designed this entire rocket plus all the connected ground support equipment from scratch. That is a monumental task. The closest historical comparison is the Saturn 5 program much more than something like SLS because Saturn 5 was also a complete toptobottom new design starting from limited prior experience. And the path SpaceX took to get here is wild. Starhop was the prototype that left people scratching their heads. the strange single engine water tower that hopped a few hundred meters back in 2019. From that, in just a few years, SpaceX has now arrived at ship 39 and booster 19. The number of design iterations and lessons learned between those two vehicles is mind-boggling. Jordan also captured a stunning highresolution image of ship 40 as it returned to the production site from Messi. The level of detail visible on the hull tells the same story. All of it was thought up and refined. None of it is accidental. We've reached a very late advanced stage of prototyping by now. With the rocket stacked, SpaceX moved to the next step, a wet dress rehearsal. This was the first time SpaceX had attempted a full wet dress rehearsal in a long time. They generally skipped this step on Starship test flights because launch attempts themselves serve the same function. But flight 12 is the first flight of version 3 hardware on a brand new pad. new everything. The risk profile justifies a real WDR before launch day and I am genuinely happy to see it. Ship 39 and booster 19 deserve every attention before flight 12 and the reason SpaceX is doing this test with the flight 12 hardware became clear on Saturday. The first attempt was scrubbed before propellant loading actually began. Look at this. SpaceX seems to have lifted something out and lowered it to the ground the next day. This very likely has something to do with the scrub on Saturday. SpaceX hasn't confirmed specifics. The good news is that you want to find this kind of thing during a rehearsal rather than on launch day.

[00:09:43]Sunday was reserved for fixing issues.

[00:09:46]Mother's Day. SpaceX isn't allowed to close Bokhica Beach access on Mother's Day, which means no testing campaign.

[00:09:53]Kudos to SpaceX for respecting that, by the way. Some things are just bigger than rocket schedules. Happy Mother's Day, honey. This left Monday, May 11th, as the next available window. If there was a test, I'll show the footage here.

[00:10:07]We'll do a full breakdown on Friday's episode. So, here's where things stand.

[00:10:12]Booster 19 cleared its 33 engine static fire on May 6th. Ship 39 rolled out and stacked successfully. The mystery pipes are now identified as feeds for new aft RCS thrusters that almost certainly support orbital refueling. Saturday's wet dress rehearsal was scrubbed. Sunday was fixing time and now we're left with waiting for SpaceX to confirm any results. Flight 12 remains scheduled for no earlier than May 15th. That is 3 days from when this episode goes live. The launch date holds entirely on what happened with the WDR. Fingers crossed.

[00:10:47]If everything went well, SpaceX might roll the systems back for final checks and then go for launch. If something else came up, we wait. That is how this works. But we are now genuinely measuring this in days, not weeks. The first version 3 Starship flight is almost here. Welcome to the middle of the video. Well done. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for watching and liking the video. And if you're among the 40% who haven't subscribed yet, and there was at least one video you learned something new from, it would mean the world to me if you did. It is free and it genuinely helps more people find my channel to spread the word about spaceflight. There is only one place you'd rather be. The Y members club on Patreon and right here on YouTube. Click the card or the join button right here under the video. You are the reason we keep doing this. Thank you so much. You rock. Flight 12 is coming up. Ever thought of going to watch one live? Why just watch the launch when you can feel it? We are working together with the family oriented Raptor Roost and they have the closest public viewing of any rocket launch in the world. Boating and fishing from full range campsites on the scenic Rio Grand included. Call 956-561-5617 to get more info. See you there. While Starship is in final preparation for flight 12, engineers over at NASA aren't exactly idle either. Preparations for Artemis 3 are already in full swing.

[00:12:12]Even though the details of this mission are still being worked out, sometimes you find mission details where you don't expect them. One of the most relevant details just surfaced is an RAIF or request for information titled Artemis 3 alternate com system. What such requests for information are formal procurement documents. In other words, they are NASA's way to say, "Hey industry, here is a problem we need to solve. Please tell us what's possible, what it might cost, and how you would go about solving it." So, what is this RFA about?

[00:12:45]High-speed communication. NASA wants better real-time imagery, a desire shared by many space fans out there, especially during important docking tests. The agency wants live 4K videos.

[00:12:58]During other phases of the mission, NASA wants to use the bandwidth for large file transmissions. The request also specifies that the new systems communication antenna needs to either have a steerable antenna or one with an exceptionally broad field of view. This is a requirement because Orion needs to rotate as part of its thermal management. It rolls to balance solar heating. At other times, it has to point specific equipment in a specific direction. The communication system needs to be able to work reliably no matter the orientation of the craft. One already proven system that comes to mind here is, of course, Starlink. We've already enjoyed amazing footage during Starship flight tests. In fact, this might be the best footage of any space flight activity so far. Enabled by Starlink and SpaceX, the transmission quality is continuously improving. Also, this constellation is still growing, opening up even more bandwidth.

[00:13:55]Nonetheless, there are other competitors that will be able to answer this RFI with concepts of their own. One might be Amazon's LEO constellation if it manages to stabilize and accelerate its deployment schedule. So, what are those mission details you hinted about before, Felix? To put it in simple words, we have an orbit, and that is more than just a side note. NASA had to define the mission requirements for Aremis 3 for this request for information so that potential industry partners can work on a solution. One of the most critical ones was the choice of the orbit to perform testing in. As recently as April, NASA was evidently still considering both a LEO, a low Earth orbit, or an HO, a high Earth orbit. The RFI puts an end to this speculation. It specifies a circular orbit at approximately 460 kilometers at a 33° inclination. LEO has made the cut.

[00:14:50]Artemis 3 will take place in an orbit that is just slightly higher than that of the ISS. This choice has some serious implications for the mission. It makes things easier in remarkable ways, opening up new auctions for SLS, Orion's launch vehicle. It could result in a shortened variant. The reason is simple.

[00:15:09]Artemis 3 is not going to the moon.

[00:15:11]There will be no trans lunar injection burn, not even an orbital raise maneuver. As a result, Artemis 3 might not need SLS's last interim cryogenic propulsion stage. That could instead just be saved for Artemis 4. The previously planned successor to this stage, called the EU or exploration upper stage, was recently cancelled in favor of ULA's Centaur architecture.

[00:15:35]Saving the final ICPS is an interesting option. It would give engineers more time to develop the modifications needed to use the Centaur 5 upper stage with SLS and of course it would save costs.

[00:15:47]But there is another aspect of choosing LEO for this mission. one that is very relevant for the lunar lander or landers that are part of Artemis 3. At this point, it isn't even clear yet if the mission will involve landers from just one or both competitors. Choosing LEO has lowered the hurdles. Both Starship HLS and a Blue Moon can be delivered to LEO without in orbit refueling. In fact, it eliminates what might be the biggest hurdle SpaceX and Blue Origin still face for Artemis 3. Orbital refueling will have to be mastered for Artemis 4 and beyond. There's no way around it. But for now, both companies can focus their Luna efforts on developing the lander demonstrators first. Now, you know that ship 39 has those RCS thrusters. Things need to be in a working state come Artemis 3, and RCS thrusters and docking are all the way on top of that list.

[00:16:40]Imagine a Starship docking with an Orion capsule in orbit, all streamed by SpaceX's Starlink. Lots to look forward to in 2027. Orion also benefits from this decision, specifically the muchtalked about heat shield situation.

[00:16:54]Right now, Integrity, the Orion capsule that went around the moon on Artemis 2, is back at Kennedy Space Center for deservicing. All components will be tested and evaluated, and one of them is in the spotlight. The AVC code heat shield on Artemis 1. The heat shield had suffered an alarming amount of damage.

[00:17:12]It wasn't only charred, but it had missing pieces. This led to a less aggressive re-entry maneuver for Artemis 2. NASA issued a statement on April 21st saying that the char loss behavior observed on Artemis 1 was significantly reduced both in terms of quantity and size. This is just what the agency wanted to achieve. The statement continues by noting that the performance was consistent with ground testing results following Artemis 1, demonstrating that NASA now has a good understanding of the Fcode materials behavior. Orion's heat shield for Artemis 3 already features design changes addressing the gas venting issues identified after Artemis 1. Gas that had built up underneath and inside the heat shield had no way to escape.

[00:17:56]This led to the visible holes torn into the shield by expanding gases on the inside. With the massively reduced re-entry stress from LEO, the conditions for the heat shield are much favorable, but it will still allow the engineers to analyze and evaluate the new design before the next Luna mission. By now, all 186 FCODE blocks that make up the heat shield for the next Orion capsule are already installed, cured, and inspected. Even the thermal cycle testing and the ultrasonic inspections are completed. The SLS assembly is underway, too. From the outside, it certainly looks like NASA is on schedule with its preparations for Aremis 3. But how about the landers? Artemis 3 made a lot of things easier, but those landers still need to be ready. The time is ticking for Blue Origin and SpaceX. NASA has made it perfectly clear that the vehicle that is to be the next to land humans on the moon will have to be ready for Artemis 3. In the original Artemis timeline, this honor would have gone to SpaceX and its human landing system, but it's still nowhere to be seen except for the nose cone mockup at Starbase and some images hinting at interior design.

[00:19:03]This does not mean that SpaceX is not actively working on it. It definitely is. Blue Moon's development approach is different. Instead of going allin on the full-size human lander, Blue Origin takes a staged approach. The first step is an uncrrewed lander, Blue Moon Mark1.

[00:19:19]And the first of these landers, named Endurance, has already advanced to active testing. On May the 4th, NASA announced the completion of a major milestone. Endurance completed thermal vacuum testing at Johnson Space Center.

[00:19:33]The craft is now back at Blue Origin's Luna plant one at Kennedy Space Center.

[00:19:37]After launch vehicle separation system and communications system qualification, Endurance will have one more test to master, a wet dress rehearsal with cryogenic propellants. Once this milestone is passed, it's ready for integration into a New Glenn fairing for its journey to the moon. And here is one vital problem on Blue's side. New Glenn is still grounded after the upper stage malfunction on the NG3 mission. It is still unclear how quickly the mandatory investigation can be closed, but it's clear that it does delay Blue Origin's plans, at least a little. We just don't know how long it will take to get New Glenn back on the pad. Meanwhile, over at Starbase, flight 12, the first flight of the V3 Starship, is about to take place. Success is desperately needed to advance the entire Starship program.

[00:20:24]Delays in 2025 likely played a large role in SpaceX's HLS delays. They still have a very long way to go. And as far as we know, there are no plans for an interim lander that is designed to skip orbital refueling. Since required orbital refueling systems are already part of the Starship version 3 design, SpaceX can test them before launching a Luna Starship. This at least gives them some vital information. If these systems will work as designed on an HLS Starship, even an uncrrewed flight to the moon will require all sorts of systems to be in place. Blue Origin's approach might produce big pictures faster because it plans for an uncrrewed landing as early as later in 2026, but it also means it has to build a second lander type for Artemis 3. Mark 1, like SpaceX, is missing many of the systems needed to demonstrate a crewd variant.

[00:21:17]The large Mark 2 lander design is taking shape, and NASA Marshall has recently shared this image showing a full-scale crew cabin prototype. It's now operational for training and testing.

[00:21:28]That is on par with what SpaceX showed.

[00:21:31]Images of training setups. Artemis 3 is planned for 2027. Blue Origin will not have much time to learn from Blue Moon Mark 1 before it has to build the next variant. A third interim model, the rumored Mark 1.5, might become the craft that is destined for Artemis 3. a smaller version than the plant Mark 2 for human landings, but still equipped with all the vital hardware for the planned docking and crude transfer testing during Artemis 3. While Blue Origin's staged approach might produce three lander versions, SpaceX seems to stick to its plan and go allin on a fullscale Starship HLS. Two very different approaches to a shared prestigious goal, becoming the company that gets humans back to the surface of the moon. To be honest, I spent a lot of time looking at both development efforts. And without wanting to bust a bubble, both seem awfully late for a 2027 demonstration flight. But we'll see. Maybe they can make it happen. And what SpaceX says is absolutely true.

[00:22:31]Excitement is guaranteed. And that's it for today. Smash the like button.

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