The Artemis II mission to the Moon has been delayed due to further technical issues with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, but space enthusiasts have another highly anticipated event to look forward to: SpaceX is preparing for the return of Starship.
The largest rocket ever built is set to become even more capable with the flight debut of the third-generation Starship V3 (Block 3). All of the machines slated to fly in 2026 represent a significant departure from the Block 2 version, which concluded its test flight program with Flight 11 in the fall of 2025.
For observers, this signifies that SpaceX has made substantial progress in prototype development and is slowly transitioning into an era of production-ready super heavy-lift vehicles.
Starship FT-12 (Flight Test 12)
- When: No earlier than (unconfirmed, most frequent estimate)
- What: Debut of Starship V3 (Super Heavy B19, ship S39)
- Trajectory: Transatmospheric (similar trajectory to 2025 flights)
- Mission: V3 testing, details not yet disclosed
Finally, Raptor 3
The most significant technological innovation is, of course, the long-awaited deployment of Raptor 3 engines, powered by liquid methane.
Unlike previous generations, which required complex external shields to protect plumbing, wiring, and sensors from the heat of neighboring engines, the Raptor 3 offers a unique design based on 3D printing. This better integrates secondary flow paths and introduces regenerative cooling for all exposed components.
This new design leads to a dramatic simplification of the Super Heavy’s propulsion section. Eliminating individual heat shields and associated fire suppression systems not only reduces the rocket’s dry mass by hundreds of kilograms per engine but also significantly shortens the maintenance time between flights – or at least, that’s what SpaceX promises. We will see.
Lighter Booster for Reduced Aerodynamic Drag
The Super Heavy first stage’s structure itself has also evolved, with a clear goal: to reduce weight and aerodynamic drag during the initial phase of flight through the atmosphere, when most of the propellant is consumed.
Starship must be as efficient as possible, as it will need to lift the largest possible amount of methane and oxygen to orbit for missions to the Moon, where it will be converted into a refueling station for another Starship.
Even today, such ideas sound like science fiction, but this maneuver is absolutely essential for the Artemis III mission. A specially modified Starship HLS (Human Landing System) will dock in orbit, refuel, and then travel to the Moon, where astronauts (traveling in the Orion spacecraft) will transfer to it and use it as a lunar module for landing on the surface.
Another change in V3 is the reduction in the number of grid fins, but they now have higher strength and surface area. This is because they will also be used to be captured by Mechazilla, which previously used welded pins for this purpose. Those will also disappear, saving SpaceX even more weight.
Larger Ship with Docking for Propellant Transfer
The second stage – the ship itself – will be slightly taller in the V3 version, bringing the overall height of the rocket to approximately 124.4 meters, up from 121.3 meters for the V1 (Block 1). A new hybrid shield, combining ceramics with a special ablative layer and metallic elements, is also a novelty.
SpaceX has tested every return to the atmosphere so far, and has pointed out to viewers that the hull burning in places is not a defect, but a test of the resistance of thermally stressed parts.
V3 ultimately includes a full-fledged docking system for connecting two ships in orbit and the aforementioned propellant transfer.
One can only hope that the new generation of Starship will function as intended and that the maneuver with two Starships will be seen later this year, and according to the most optimistic scenarios, even before the summer holidays.
First Launch from New OLP-2 Pad
Flight Test 12 (FT-12) is scheduled to take place no earlier than and will be the first launch from Orbital Launch Pad 2 (OLP-2). The construction of the second facility at the Texas spaceport, and the ongoing modernization in Florida, should finally help to increase the pace somewhat.
If all goes according to plan, FT-12 will be the last transatmospheric test flight with a target in the Indian Ocean, and subsequent flights will aim for a true low Earth orbit.
In practice, this would mean that it could complete at least one full orbit of the planet and finally land in Texas on Mechazilla’s arms.
