Starship | Flight 12 — launch recap & visibility

12th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. Maiden Flight of Starship V3. The flight test’s primary goal will be to demonstrate each of these new pieces in the flight environment for the first time, with each element of the Starship architecture featuring significant redesigns to enable full and rapid reuse that incorporate learnings from years of development and test. The Starship upper stage will target multiple in-space and reentry objectives, including a payload deployment of 20 Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, and two specially modified Starlink satellites. The two modified satellites will test hardware planned for Starlink V3 and will attempt to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators to test methods of analyzing Starship’s heat shield readiness for return to launch site on future missions. Several tiles on Starship have been painted white to simulate missing tiles and serve as imaging targets in the test. The Starlink simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship. A relight of a single Raptor engine while in space is also planned. For Starship entry, a single heat shield tile has been intentionally removed to measure the aerodynamic load differences on adjacent tiles when there is a tile missing. Finally, the ship will perform experimental actions tested on previous flight tests, including a maneuver to intentionally stress the structural limits of the vehicle’s rear flaps and a dynamic banking maneuver to mimic the trajectory that future missions returning to Starbase will fly.

Rocket
Starship V3
Provider
SpaceX
Launch site
SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA
Status
Launch Successful

Liftoff time

Which cities could see this launch?

Estimated visibility from major towns near US launch sites, assuming clear skies and an open horizon at the time of liftoff:

CityVisibilityLook towardDistance to pad
Port Isabel, TX Excellent south-southeast 6 mi
South Padre Island, TX Excellent south 7 mi
Laguna Vista, TX Excellent southeast 11 mi
Bayview, TX Excellent east-southeast 18 mi
Los Fresnos, TX Excellent east-southeast 21 mi
Brownsville, TX Excellent east-northeast 22 mi
Harlingen, TX Excellent east-southeast 36 mi
McAllen, TX Excellent east-southeast 68 mi
Corpus Christi, TX Good south 125 mi
Port Aransas, TX Good south 127 mi
Rockport, TX Good south 140 mi
Laredo, TX Good southeast 179 mi
Grand Isle, LA Excellent west-southwest 492 mi
Gulf Shores, AL Good west-southwest 647 mi
Pensacola Beach, FL Good west-southwest 679 mi
Tallahassee, FL Excellent west-southwest 841 mi
Valdosta, GA Excellent west-southwest 906 mi
Tampa, FL Good west 914 mi
Gainesville, FL Good west 940 mi
Lakeland, FL Fair west 946 mi
Kissimmee, FL Good west 980 mi
Orlando, FL Good west 984 mi
Jacksonville, FL Good west-southwest 989 mi
Sanford, FL Good west 993 mi
St. Augustine, FL Good west 1003 mi
Palm Coast, FL Good west 1005 mi
Daytona Beach, FL Good west 1012 mi
Brunswick, GA Good west-southwest 1014 mi
New Smyrna Beach, FL Good west 1015 mi
Mims, FL Good west 1018 mi
Titusville, FL Good west 1019 mi
Rockledge, FL Fair west 1022 mi
Merritt Island, FL Fair west 1024 mi
Melbourne, FL Fair west 1028 mi
Palm Bay, FL Fair west 1029 mi
Port Canaveral, FL Fair west 1029 mi
Cocoa Beach, FL Fair west 1029 mi
Satellite Beach, FL Fair west 1029 mi
Indialantic, FL Fair west 1031 mi
Sebastian, FL Fair west 1035 mi
Vero Beach, FL Fair west 1039 mi
Port St. Lucie, FL Fair west 1040 mi
Fort Pierce, FL Fair west 1043 mi
Miami, FL Marginal west-northwest 1054 mi
Fort Lauderdale, FL Marginal west-northwest 1056 mi
Savannah, GA Good west-southwest 1056 mi
West Palm Beach, FL Fair west 1060 mi
Hilton Head Island, SC Good west-southwest 1078 mi
Charleston, SC Good west-southwest 1136 mi
Myrtle Beach, SC Good west-southwest 1215 mi
Richmond, VA Marginal southwest 1402 mi
Newport News, VA Fair southwest 1434 mi
Norfolk, VA Fair southwest 1436 mi
Virginia Beach, VA Fair southwest 1451 mi
Cape Charles, VA Fair southwest 1462 mi
Washington, DC Marginal southwest 1468 mi
Exmore, VA Fair southwest 1480 mi
Onancock, VA Marginal southwest 1489 mi
Annapolis, MD Marginal southwest 1496 mi
Pocomoke City, MD Marginal southwest 1509 mi
Wallops Island, VA Marginal southwest 1511 mi
Chincoteague, VA Marginal southwest 1514 mi
Salisbury, MD Marginal southwest 1517 mi
Berlin, MD Marginal southwest 1534 mi
Ocean City, MD Marginal southwest 1541 mi
Dover, DE Marginal southwest 1547 mi
Rehoboth Beach, DE Marginal southwest 1553 mi
Cape May, NJ Marginal southwest 1568 mi
Ocean City, NJ Marginal southwest 1596 mi
San Diego, CA Not visible — 1288 mi
Long Beach, CA Not visible — 1366 mi
Pasadena, CA Not visible — 1372 mi
Los Angeles, CA Not visible — 1375 mi
Mojave, CA Not visible — 1394 mi
Malibu, CA Not visible — 1399 mi
Thousand Oaks, CA Not visible — 1410 mi
Oxnard, CA Not visible — 1429 mi
Ventura, CA Not visible — 1437 mi
Bakersfield, CA Not visible — 1447 mi
Santa Barbara, CA Not visible — 1462 mi
Solvang, CA Not visible — 1490 mi
Buellton, CA Not visible — 1493 mi
Los Alamos, CA Not visible — 1500 mi
Baltimore, MD Not visible — 1501 mi
Lompoc, CA Not visible — 1508 mi
Vandenberg Village, CA Not visible — 1510 mi
Orcutt, CA Not visible — 1511 mi
Santa Maria, CA Not visible — 1513 mi
Guadalupe, CA Not visible — 1521 mi
Fresno, CA Not visible — 1521 mi
Pismo Beach, CA Not visible — 1528 mi
San Luis Obispo, CA Not visible — 1532 mi
Philadelphia, PA Not visible — 1590 mi
San Jose, CA Not visible — 1645 mi

Where to look

A rocket lifts off below the horizon for distant viewers, then climbs into view as it gains altitude and flies downrange. Closer to the pad you'll see it within seconds; a few hundred miles away it can take three to six minutes to rise over the horizon. Find an open view in the direction shown for your city and start watching at liftoff.

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Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated June 4, 2026.