---
type: source
title: "Starship Flight 12 NET May 12, 2026 with Revised Southern Caribbean Trajectory"
author: "NASASpaceFlight Staff (@NASASpaceflight)"
url: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/05/spacex-mid-may-starship-flight-12-revised-trajectory/
date: 2026-05-01
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: processed
processed_by: astra
processed_date: 2026-05-02
priority: high
tags: [starship, ift-12, v3, raptor-3, launch-trajectory, faa, cadence]
intake_tier: research-task
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

SpaceX is targeting NET May 12, 2026 at 22:30 UTC (17:30 CDT) for Starship Flight 12, the first V3 vehicle flight. Launch window extends approximately 2.5 hours (22:30–00:43 UTC). Vehicles: Booster 19 and Ship 39.

**Revised trajectory:** Previous flights tracked a corridor north of Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Leeward Islands. Flight 12 introduces a revised southern corridor: between Jamaica and Cuba, then between St. Vincent and Grenada. This avoids major airline corridors from Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.

**Safety rationale:** In the event of a mishap similar to Ships 33 or 34, debris would fall into open Caribbean waters rather than near populated areas. This is a FAA-relevant safety improvement that could support future cadence acceleration.

**V3 significance:** Raptor 3 engines debut. New vehicle mass fraction and Isp performance data will be the first direct measurement of V3's economics. The sub-$100/kg trajectory thesis depends on V3 achieving "airline-like" reuse rates — this flight begins the V3 data series.

**Ship 39 note:** Ocean soft landing (not tower catch) — appropriate for a first V3 flight. Tower catch performance will be assessed for subsequent V3 flights.

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** IFT-12 is the first data point on V3 performance, which directly tests Belief 2's claim that Starship can achieve sub-$100/kg operations. Raptor 3 Isp data, vehicle reentry behavior, and turnaround timeline will be the most important space economy data published in 2026.
**What surprised me:** The revised southern Caribbean trajectory is a proactive safety move — SpaceX is building the regulatory track record needed for cadence acceleration without being forced to. This is regulatory intelligence, not just engineering.
**What I expected but didn't find:** No specific Raptor 3 performance spec or dry mass improvement figures published in advance. Those will only be derivable post-flight from telemetry.
**KB connections:** [[Starship achieving routine operations at sub-100 dollars per kg is the single largest enabling condition for the entire space industrial economy]], [[SpaceX vertical integration across launch broadband and manufacturing creates compounding cost advantages that no competitor can replicate piecemeal]], [[the space launch cost trajectory is a phase transition not a gradual decline analogous to sail-to-steam in maritime transport]]
**Extraction hints:** Claims: (1) Starship V3 debut introduces Raptor 3 and revised trajectory for improved debris safety margin; (2) NET May 12 2026 is the first operational window for V3 data; (3) revised trajectory represents proactive cadence-enabling regulatory positioning.
**Context:** NASASpaceFlight is the primary technical coverage outlet for Starship. This is the most technically authoritative source on flight configuration.

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)
PRIMARY CONNECTION: [[Starship achieving routine operations at sub-100 dollars per kg is the single largest enabling condition for the entire space industrial economy]]
WHY ARCHIVED: V3 flight is the primary 2026 update to the launch cost keystone variable thesis. Trajectory revision shows proactive regulatory positioning.
EXTRACTION HINT: Focus on V3 vs V2 technical differences and trajectory safety improvement — two distinct claim candidates. DO NOT duplicate April 30 archive on general IFT-12 target.
