"SpaceX has named the earliest date for the next Starship launch - May 19. The company has already completed a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) so the next step is to cross fingers and launch the stainless steel behemoth. The launch window for the 12th flight test of Starship opens at 5:30 pm CT, and, as with previous test flights, the vehicle will be on a suborbital trajectory."
"The launch, from an entirely new pad, will be the first of SpaceX's third-generation Starship and will validate that there have been no inadvertent regressions. Raptor 3 engines power the Starship and Super Heavy Booster. On the booster, SpaceX has reduced the number of grid fins used during recovery from four to three, increased their size by 50 percent, and added a new catch point, although there are no plans to catch the booster on the next flight - it is destined for the Gulf of Mexico."
"For Starship, changes include a redesign of the propulsion system, increased propellant tank size, and improvements to the reaction control system. The Starlink dispenser mechanism has also been updated to increase satellite deployment speed - 22 mass simulators will be carried on this mission. Ultimately, this is a considerably enhanced rocket, with more powerful engines, and a new launchpad and tower. Hence the need to demonstrate that nothing has been broken along the way."
"SpaceX will call the flight of the booster a success if there's a successful launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and finally a landing burn in the Gulf of Mexico. Starship's objectives are to deploy Starlink simulators, which will also be on a suborbital trajectory to burn up harmlessly, restart a single Raptor engine, and survive a controll"
SpaceX has scheduled the next Starship launch for May 19 after completing a Wet Dress Rehearsal. The launch window opens at 5:30 pm CT for the 12th flight test, with the vehicle flying a suborbital trajectory. The flight will launch from a new pad and tower and will be the first test of a third-generation Starship configuration. Raptor 3 engines power both Starship and the Super Heavy Booster. Booster recovery hardware changes include fewer, larger grid fins and a new catch point, but no return-to-launch-site attempt is planned, with the booster destined for the Gulf of Mexico. Starship changes include a redesigned propulsion system, larger propellant tanks, and improved reaction control, plus an updated Starlink dispenser to deploy 22 mass simulators quickly. Mission goals include successful booster and Starship flight events, simulator deployment, a restart of one Raptor engine, and survival of the suborbital burnup.
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