First launch of a Block 3 Starship, and the first launch from Pad 2!
| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2026-05-22 23:30:00 |
|---|---|
| Scheduled for (local) | 2026-05-22 18:30 (CDT) |
| Launch Window (UTC) | 2025-05-22 22:30 to 2026-05-23 00:00 (1 hour 30 minutes) |
| Launch site | Pad 2, Starbase, Texas, USA. |
| Booster | B19 |
| Ship | S39 |
| Booster landing | Gulf of Mexico |
| Ship landing | Indian Ocean |
Webcasts
| Stream | Link |
|---|---|
| Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT_ZXZUrUcU (scrub) |
| Everyday Astronaut | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odWYDx3u8A4 (scrub) |
| Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4alF1JasLo (scrub) |
| NASASpaceflight | Stakeout stream, launch stream, Stakeout stream (scrub), launch stream (scrub) |
| LabPadre | |
| The Launch Pad | Countdown stream, launch stream, Countdown stream (scrub), launch stream (scrub) |
| VideoFromSpace | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke_V1Dlw_lI (scrub) |
| International Rocket Launches | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C6WSj8lz4s (scrub) |
| SpaceX | |
| The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/@thespacedevs/videos |
Stats
Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:
☑️ 1st launch of Starship version 3
☑️ 1st launch from Pad 2
☑️ 1st Starship Full Stack launch this year, 12th overall
☑️ 60th SpaceX launch this year, 679th overall
Mission Details
SpaceX website (current, archive), Starship v3 overview. Scheduled highlights:
- No booster catch, only splashdown.
- Payload deploy demonstration, including two satellites to transmit imagery of heatshield prior to reentry.
- Raptor relight.
- Ship landing burn will down-select to a single engine.
- Chopstick actuators have been changed from hydraulic to electromechanical.
Timeline
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| -0:50:00 | GO for Prop Load |
| -0:38:53 | Stage 2 LOX Load |
| -0:35:00 | Stage 1 LOX Load |
| -0:34:43 | Stage 1 LNG Load |
| -0:32:59 | Stage 2 LNG Load |
| -0:21:30 | Engine Chill |
| -0:02:50 | Stage 1 Propellant Load Complete |
| -0:02:10 | Stage 2 Propellant Load Complete |
| -0:00:30 | GO for Launch |
| -0:00:17 | Flame Deflector Activation |
| -0:00:03 | Ignition |
| 0:00:00 | Liftoff |
| 0:00:00 | Excitement Guaranteed |
| 0:00:45 | Max-Q |
| 0:02:22 | MECO |
| 0:02:24 | Stage 2 Separation |
| 0:02:30 | Booster Boostback Burn Startup |
| 0:03:30 | Booster Boostback Burn Shutdown |
| 0:06:34 | Stage 1 Landing Burn |
| 0:06:59 | Stage 1 Landing |
| 0:08:11 | SECO-1 |
| 0:17:37 | Payload Deployment Sequence Start |
| 0:27:15 | Payload Deployment Sequence End |
| 0:38:37 | SEB-2 |
| 0:47:47 | Atmospheric Entry |
| 1:02:29 | Starship Transonic |
| 1:03:08 | Starship Subsonic |
| 1:05:06 | Starship Landing Burn |
| 1:05:08 | Landing Flip |
| 1:05:17 | Starship Landing |
Link to Starship Dev thread
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Nice ship landing despite everything else.
The engine out issues are giving me bad flashbacks.
Fortunately it was an R-vac and not one of the centre engines…
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:
Fewer Letters More Letters FTS Flight Termination System MECO Main Engine Cut-Off ~ MainEngineCutOff podcast NSF NasaSpaceFlight forum ~ National Science Foundation Jargon Definition Raptor Methane-fueled rocket engine under development by SpaceX Starlink SpaceX’s world-wide satellite broadband constellation
[Thread #1 for this comm, first seen 22nd May 2026, 22:35] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]
Scrub for the day.
Wow, those Raptor 3 engines are hauling ass!
Hold released!
Edit: And reset back to T-40 seconds…
T-0 has been pushed to 18:30 local, 23:30 UTC.
More details from Elon: https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2057609682865254695
The hydraulic pin holding the tower arm in place did not retract.
If that can be fixed tonight, there will be another launch attempt tomorrow at 5:30 CT.
Hold released! Go for launch!
Propellant loading is underway.
Still on schedule for payload deploy (T+17:37), but likely skip in-space Raptor relight.
First two Starlink simulators deployed.
Edit: Simulators 3 and 4 deployed.
- Simulators 5 and 6 deployed.
- Payloads 7 and 8 deployed.
- 9 and 10.
- 11 and 12.
- 13 and 14.
- 15 and 16.
- 17 and 18.
- 19 and 20.
- 21 and 22. These two are the modified v2 Starlinks with cameras and lights on them.
- Payload door has closed.
Next up, atmospheric entry around T+47 minutes.
T-20 minutes. Propellant load is underway.
Payload door has opened!
Ship has passed through peak heating. Approaching peak pressure.