Why SpaceX's Starship Flight 12 Surprised Us All!

Ajouté : 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]More than 200 days. That's how long we waited between flight 11 and the first flight of version three Starship. 200 days of construction, of testing, of anomalies, of static fires, of two completely redesigned vehicles, and a brand new pad. Then in 1 hour and 5 minutes, it all needed to hold up.

[00:00:22]Today, we go through what actually happened during flight 12. It was more than just a test.

[00:00:30]My name is Helix. Welcome to What About It? Let's dive right in. Starship updates. SpaceX launched Starship Flight 12. Can you believe it's been since October 2025 that we've last seen a Starship launch? More than 200 days of nothing. At least that's what it felt like for the casual outsider. And if you're one of them, keep watching because this concerns everyone. The Y viewer knows that SpaceX didn't stand still for a day. Not one day since flight 11. And the real reason why it took more than 200 days from the last flight to this one is version three. I did a complete rundown of version 3 on the last episode. All its changes, all its improvements, and the reasons why.

[00:01:13]I'll link it at the end of this one.

[00:01:15]Make absolutely sure you'll watch it after this if you haven't yet. It'll open your eyes. In short, this launch was way more than just the return of the Starship test program. This was the inaugural flight of the V3 Starship. A whole new beast, far more advanced than all we've seen in the air above Texas before. Launched from a brand new pad, this marked the start of a whole new era. So, let's look into it. Let's see what exactly happened, what conclusions can be drawn for Starship's future. And most importantly, let's see if SpaceX got what they wanted from Starship Flight 12. We knew our patience was rewarded when the roll out of both stages slated for flight 12 began.

[00:01:58]Starship was back on the road on Tuesday the 19th. One day later, on Wednesday the 20th, Starship was finally ready to show us its full glory as a final full stack. Both stages, booster 19 and ship 39 were the first of the new V3 variants, and the changes in hardware design on V3 are the most consequential ones in the program's history. Then came the last wet dress rehearsal. This behavior shows you how careful SpaceX is with this launch. Wet dress rehearsals have not been a part of pre-flight testing for some time now. Not needed.

[00:02:31]For flight 12, though, it's all back and then some. This wasn't the first wet dress rehearsal, but the second. Seeing all those new systems in the tank farm alone work and fill the rocket stack once again shows how much change has happened since flight 11 and last October. Nice. SpaceX had bad luck with the weather on Wednesday. While testing, shower after shower passed over the site under rather miserable conditions. In the end though, everything worked out.

[00:02:59]The wet dress rehearsal turned into a partial fill, likely because of the bad weather with a deluge test at the end.

[00:03:05]SpaceX was one step closer to ignition.

[00:03:08]On Thursday, SpaceX tried again. Fueling began and over 400,000 people watched alongside the Y team as SpaceX prepared for launch. While the rocket was fueled, SpaceX treated us to an incredible interview. Dan Huard called Chun Wang on Bouvet, Earth's most remote island. Of course, Starlink made the call possible.

[00:03:29]But that's not what this was about. Chan Wang, who was also part of the Framm 2 crew flying over Earth's poles on a private Crew Dragon mission in 2025, told the world that he would be part of the crew that for the first time in human history will embark on an interplanetary crude mission. I will talk about this in great detail on the next episode. This was an incredible moment. The importance of a crude flight to Mars cannot be overstated. A truly historic moment to witness. SpaceX sent us through an intense thriller as they encountered the 402nd hold in the timeline.

[00:04:06]>> Think we're about to reset and reset is in counting down.

[00:04:12]>> Oh god.

[00:04:12]>> First flight of Starship V3.

[00:04:14]>> Oh god, we're continuing. All right, everybody.

[00:04:18]>> Cross everything you've got.

[00:04:20]>> Are we vector porting? Oh, we're >> all right. So, hold here for a second.

[00:04:26]Looks like we're still managing some pressures in the ship. Quick disconnect.

[00:04:33]>> This is a moment when SpaceX can hold the rocket for up to 15 minutes to troubleshoot and if possible fix issues.

[00:04:41]>> Some pressures in the quick disconnect and hold reset >> and reload.

[00:04:47]>> If you haven't done so yet, press the like button, please. Before this rocket ignites, press the like button.

[00:04:54]>> And let's just enjoy this. so much.

[00:04:58]>> Back to recycling. So, we're going to hold it at Tus again.

[00:05:02]>> And on this attempt, they had a few. The biggest one being a hydraulic pin responsible for holding the quick disconnect arm in place. It was supposed to retract and it chose not to. Scrub.

[00:05:14]It's an excellent example of how much change there is in all this new hardware and how the smallest detail can prevent a launch. SpaceX worked through the night to fix it and was ready again on Friday, May 22nd for another attempt.

[00:05:28]Flight 12 also marked the debut of Raptor V3, now even more powerful and at the same time lighter than his predecessors. What remained the same as before was that the first signs of activity we noticed on launch day came from the tank farm. Clouds of white vapor hinted that SpaceX had begun preparing the pipes for super cooled pressurized liquids to flow to the booster and ship at an unmatched speed.

[00:05:52]The 90-minute launch window opened at 5:30 p.m. Central time. Roughly 50 minutes before that, the final launch preparation started when the flight director conducted the first major poll of the day, verifying go for propellant load. Yeah, you heard that right. Even after being extended to over 124 meters, the V3 Starship takes less than one hour to be fully loaded. That includes both the liquid oxygen and the liquid nitrogen for both stages. All that in just under 39 minutes. That's crazy. In contrast, NASA's SLS begins fueling operations roughly 10 hours before ignition with fueling lasting 5 to 6 hours followed by a replenishment for another 4 hours. SpaceX 39 minutes.

[00:06:38]That's it for more than double the fuel load as well. The loading procedure started with the ship's oxygen tank. 4 minutes later, the booster's oxygen tank followed. It's here on the booster that one of the major design changes enables this accelerated propellant loading. The twin quick disconnects at the bottom, one for logs, one for methane. The methane started flowing into the booster less than a minute later. When the ship fueling started as the countdown hit t-minus 33 minutes, all tanks were filled simultaneously. The next milestone was reached at tminus 21 minutes when the engine chill process for the 33 Raptors on the booster and the six Raptors on the ship began. This was a vital step to prepare the engine's material for the super cooled liquids that it would have to endure shortly after. With just 2 minutes and 50 seconds on the clock, loading was reported complete on the booster, 40 seconds before the ship was fully loaded as well. Now, tension and excitement were rising as we approached the last milestone in the countdown sequence, the infamous 30-second mark. This is when the flight director verifies the go for launch.

[00:07:45]>> Clold is reset. Clock is rolling.

[00:07:51]>> Flight directors go for launch. When we heard these magic words, we knew this was the moment we had been waiting for for more than 200 days. Before we go for launch, here's something you can fill the weight with for the next flight. So, if civilization collapses tomorrow, could you rebuild it >> on the last day on Earth?

[00:08:10]>> That is the premise behind the book by Hungry Minds. Over 400 pages of handdrawn illustrations covering everything from metallurgy to medicine, agriculture to architecture. A beautifully crafted encyclopedia of human knowledge. The illustrations alone are stunning. The paper quality, the cover, this thing feels like an artifact from a world where books were treasures.

[00:08:35]It raised over $3 million on Kickstarter, sold more than $400,000 copies worldwide, and became an Amazon bestseller. And now it is here. Whether you're into engineering or philosophy, science or art, this book has something that'll make you stop and think. I have really enjoyed this experience. Oh, and there is a hidden quest buried inside the pages. A secret puzzle for readers to discover. I'm not going to spoil it.

[00:09:04]I think it looks and feels incredible.

[00:09:06]And when I start reading, it's just getting better. The perfect gift for that curious person in your life or maybe yourself. Get your copy from Hungry Minds. Click the link and use the promo code about it10 for a special discount and then rebuild civilization obviously. All right, all prepped up for the apocalypse. Now, let's go to space.

[00:09:26]With 17 seconds to go, the flame trench came to life as the mighty flame diverter deluge system was activated.

[00:09:33]Then, 3 seconds before liftoff, booster engines received their startup command.

[00:09:38]This was it. Go time.

[00:09:40]>> Three ignition.

[00:10:11]33 V3 Raptors unleashed a flaming inferno. You can see their power in the massive shock waves created by a combined thrust output of 8,240 tons. The new, more traditional flame trench allows for views that differ a lot from what we were used to in the days of the original launch stool of pad 1.

[00:10:36]Instead of going everywhere, the rocket's exhaust and the steam from the deluge water were neatly channeled into two directions out either side. If anything, this new arrangement makes a Starship launch look even more impressive. It feels a lot more mature and ready for the rapid reuse capability that is SpaceX's ultimate goal.

[00:10:56]Meanwhile, Jordan, one of our photographers, was in the air with SPI helicopters and accomplished something we had tried to achieve for 3 years straight. He took clean pictures of the Starship as it launched. The images turned out absolutely incredible, and a supporter gallery for channel members and patrons is already out. Incredible job, Jordan. Thank you, SPI Helicopters.

[00:11:18]Go check them out at spihelicopters.com.

[00:11:21]The new launch mount pad 2 at Starbase had performed as intended and its job for flight 12 was done the moment booster 19 lifted off into the taxon sky. Why? Because no catch attempts were planned for this flight. It was all about proving the new flight hardware.

[00:11:38]Nonetheless, the excitement had just started. SpaceX had other plans. The towering rocket quickly accelerated and less than a minute later, it reached max Q. This is the moment the vehicle has to endure the biggest aerodynamic stress on the entire journey. Less than a minute until max Q. That is an incredible thrust to weight ratio for such a large rocket. Another testament of how strong Raptor 3 engines actually are. And while the booster is still thrusting, give me just a moment of your time. I'm going to say this extra quick. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for watching and liking the video. 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. Want to make my world even easier? 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.

[00:12:39]On we go. At t plus 1 minute and 42 seconds, we saw the first problem on flight 12. One Raptor 3 engine on the booster located on the outer ring of 20 engines stopped working. No big deal when you have 33, but not as it should be. Booster 19 kept accelerating toward the next mission milestone, Mo. While on other rockets this translates to main engine cut off, in Starship's case it is most engines cut off. The reason behind this is that on Starship, stage separation is done as what's called hot staging. Some engines keep up thrust as the upper stage ignites its own engines.

[00:13:17]The rocket never fully stops thrusting.

[00:13:19]We've seen this method on previous flights, but the details have changed significantly. Ever since flight 2, when Starship first accomplished this feat, SpaceX used a so-called hot staging ring. It was in essence an interstage adapter, a vented ring that allowed exhaust to escape without damaging the booster. A separate piece of hardware sitting between the booster and the ship, kind of like a washer. While this method worked in principle, it was far from perfect. The hot staging ring separated from the top of the booster at the beginning of the booster return sequence a singleuse item. This is not a particularly elegant solution, especially when you aim for full reusability. The V3 design changed the details of the hot staging hardware completely. The separate vented ring was replaced with a fixed strut structure.

[00:14:09]It allows for an even more unobstructed flow of the ship's exhaust gases. And after this flight, we can also say it looks really, really cool. Hot staging began just under two and a half minutes into the flight. Ship 39's Raptor engines were ignited and pushed the upper stage off the top of Booster 19.

[00:14:28]And here is where things went south for Booster 19. And I don't mean a boost back burn with that. While the ship separated nicely and continued its journey for now as planned, the booster didn't have a smooth journey from here on. It executed its directional flip maneuver and positioned itself for a boost back burn, but engine ignition was erratic. At t plus 2 minutes and 38 seconds, if we go frame by frame, we can see how the inner 13 engines are ignited and every other engine on the outer ring. The display telemetry is wrong here. A few frames later, we can see a strong outburst of flames from the engine section. In SpaceX's official statement, it just says that the booster was not able to ignite all engines for the boost back. The footage tells me that the reason for this is one or more Raptor 3 engines failing and maybe even exploding. If I had to guess, I'd say that one engine in the middle ring decided to say goodbye. Subsequently, this led to the booster not being able to reignite its engines for a landing burn, and according to SpaceX, a hard splashdown in the Gulf. But flight 12 was far from over. Now, it was time for ship 39 to shine. In the meantime, it had kept accelerating, following its flight path. As with all prior Starship flights, the ship would not aim for a stable orbit. It was traveling along a trajectory that would inevitably lead to it re-entering the atmosphere even if all control had been lost. There is a common misconception out there. The reason for this is a safety measure, not SpaceX's inability to reach orbit. They could have absolutely kept burning and would have reached orbit. The ballistic course ensures that the vehicle targets a spot in the Indian Ocean far away from any inhabited land no matter what happens during the mission. Much needed safety and not inability on Starship site. Now, here comes the cool part. At t plus 3 minutes and 3 seconds, ship 39 experienced an engine out of one of its vacuum optimized Raptor 3 engines. Not a problem as Starship does have engine out capability, meaning that even five firing Raptor 3 engines are enough to reach the desired flight path. SpaceX showed an incredible view into the engine bay at 7 minutes and 30 seconds, and it does show quite a few abnormal things. First of all, there is a red glow visible. It's hard to say where it is coming from, but it doesn't look nominal. Secondly, there's damage visible on the engine skirt. And third, the faulty vacuum raptor, of course, is visible as well. It is the engine on the right. Second stage engine cutoff started at 9 minutes and 13 seconds, over a minute later than planned. SpaceX dragged it out to compensate for the lost vacuum Raptor. For flight 12, the payload was again a group of Starling simulators, but this time there were more of them to deploy, 22 in total, and two of them were different. They had an important role to perform on this test flight. The deployment began at 17 and 12 minutes into the mission when the payload door opened. We've seen this PEZ dispenser style door before, but the systems driving it have been heavily redesigned. Like with almost everything on this flight, SpaceX learned from problems with the first version and improved based on these experiences. As the first demo satellites were pushed out of the payload door, the next upgrade became apparent. The process was running noticeably faster than anything we had seen before. While previously it took about a minute per demo satellite, the new system deployed all 22 in just under 10 minutes. More than double the speed and likely not even the end of development here. At the end of this demonstration, the two special units left the PEZ dispenser. These were equipped with sensors and cameras to scan the ship as they slowly drifted out. Their task was to analyze ship 39's heat shield. To give them proper reference points, some of the heat shield tiles had been painted white. The collected data and images were beamed down to mission control for evaluation.

[00:18:28]This step will likely be an essential part of future flight tests. It allows the engineers on the ground to check out the heat shield's integrity before committing to a catch attempt. The reason for this is quite obvious. when you realize the path for a returning ship takes it across the continental US to make it back home to Texas. In this scenario, the last thing you want to see is a heat shield failure. Such a failure could lead to a ship breaking up over inhabited areas, and that is totally not a thing SpaceX can risk. So, inspecting the heat shield prior to re-entry is vital. At 38 minutes into the flight, SpaceX originally planned to perform another inspace engine relight test, but they skipped it. likely either because the trajectory was shallow due to the loss of one vacuum Raptor 3 engine or because more happened in the engine bay than meets the eye and SpaceX didn't want to risk igniting the engine. Less than 10 minutes later, the final phase had begun. Starship re-entry. A trial by fire that had reliably treated us with incredible views before, and it sure did not disappoint this time either.

[00:19:35]Colorful plasma started forming around the ship's hull and its aerodynamic surfaces. Ship 39 had to endure the heat it created when it pushed hard against the atmosphere. The heat shield had to prove one more time that it was up to facing the punishing heat generated during this re-entry. For this, SpaceX had given ship 39 the most complete shield yet. Only one tile was intentionally missing to test how adjacent tiles held up if one tile was missing. SpaceX also tested a lot of heat shield related aspects. Again, those strange square patches and patterns all over the leeward side, test tiles during the launch and now during re-entry, those tiles were closely watched by cameras. SpaceX engineers hungry for test data will not shy away from basically using every available piece of surface area on a Starship to slap on some test tiles. At 1 hour and 1 minute into the flight, SpaceX performed a stress test of the aft flaps. The ship swung hard into the oncoming air to stress test the flaps. No visible problems. It just went through it. At 1 hour and 2 minutes, the ship was traveling at transsonic speed in the upper atmosphere, rapidly decelerating as it fell deeper into ever denser atmospheric layers. Less than a minute later, it had slowed down to subsonic speed. This is the difficult part about full reuse. The shield has to endure so much heat due to deceleration. That is what makes Starship difficult. Now traveling slower than the speed of sound, ship 39 reached the final act in this grandio show. After coasting in the atmosphere for another 2 minutes, the landing burn started. At T plus 1 hour, 6 minutes, and 8 seconds, the engines fired up again. Two Raptor engines ignited. SpaceX transmitted footage from an aircraft, from its buoys in the ocean, and from the ship itself. We got an excellent view of the heat shield.

[00:21:28]Even without hearing from SpaceX, it is remarkable to see how well ship 39's heat shield fared on this flight. No burned through flaps, no heat tiles falling off. At t plus 1 hour 6 minutes and 30 seconds, SpaceX showed the view from the outside again. And that's a really good looking heat shield if you ask me. No visible gaps, no missing tiles, no damaged flaps. And SpaceX treated us to a very special view as well. They did not cut the feed. Thank you. They showed the ship falling over after the soft splashdown and exploding.

[00:22:02]Contrary to some headlines, this does not mean that a Starship can explode after a landing. If caught by a tower, it will not fall over and it will not explode. This was purely SpaceX wanting us to enjoy this explosion. Wow, I have missed this so much. The launch, the excitement, the extraordinary display of engineering, and most of all watching it with you all in our live streams. What's the verdict? The biggest problem seems to be Raptor 3. The failed booster return and the engine out on the ship might both have been direct results of the Raptor 3 engines not working as intended. The heat shield though fared far better than I expected. SpaceX now has a lot of data on version 3 and is very likely already working on solutions and improvements for flight 13, which hopefully isn't too far away. Excitement is guaranteed and I am here with you for every step of this incredible journey.

[00:22:57]And that's it for today. Smash the like button, subscribe for more. This is what fuels the algorithm and this is how you can help us for free. Check out our epic shirts in your favorite space nerd store, our alltime favorite Raptor engine design, and countless others are there for you to explore. Click the card or the US or worldwide link in the description. And if you want to know everything there is to know about V3 Starships, watch my last episode next.

[00:23:20]Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you again in the next