Flight 12 readies for the debut SpaceXs next Ship evolution

Date:
Fri, 15 May 2026 16:53:49 +0000

Description:
Starships second stage has evolved through numerous iterations since the
early test flights of SN8 The post Flight 12 readies for the debut SpaceXs next Ship evolution appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Starships second stage has evolved through numerous iterations since the
early test flights of SN8 and SN15. Ship 39, the first vehicle of Block 3, marks the latest update.

While it does not represent the dramatic overhaul seen in the transition from Block 1 to Block 2, the new design draws on years of flight data and operational lessons to retain the strongest elements of Block 2 while incorporating many long-sought improvements.



Ship 39

Ship 39 is currently back out at Masseys for what is believed to be an igniter test. This is very likely confirmation that SpaceX has changed out engines since the six-engine static fire. After this test, Ship 39 still
needs to roll back to Mega Bay 2 for payload integration before heading back out to the launch.

But this wont be for launch right away, as SpaceX has two new road and beach closures for May 17, 12:00 pm to 11:59 pm CDT, which is a 11 hour 59 min window. And May 18, 6:00 am to 10:00 pm CDT for a long 16-hour window. It is expected that this will be for another full-stack Wet Dress Rehearsal.

The reason for the additional test remains unclear, though it may simply be
to ensure all systems are functioning optimally ahead of a potential launch attempt. Starship Flight 12: Ship 39 is back at Massey's after rolling out overnight for another round of testing, as teams make sure all flight
hardware is good to go for launch, currently NET May 19th. @NASASpaceflight | https://t.co/wTIGOIV9NO pic.twitter.com/IiBTWstzbZ

Elisar Priel (@ENNEPS) May 15, 2026



Block 3 Starship Evolution

Starting with the nose cone itself, the forward flaps and cone havent
changed much from the outside compared to Block 2. Its clear that even with the failures of S33 through S36, important changes were still made that have carried over to Block 3.

However, visible high-pressure outlet lines on the raceways indicate that
Ship 39 is equipped with at least 32 COPVs (composite overwrapped pressure vessels).

Like the booster, these hold igniter, spin-up, purge, and pneumatic valve gases. This is a slight increase over Blocks 1 and 2, as SpaceX has been adjusting the requirements for the Raptor 3 engines to have more commodities stay in orbit for longer. Ship 39s Nose Cone and Payload Bay During Cryo Rollout

Another big piece on the nose cone is the newly designed catch/lift points; these are a bit different from the ones installed on the Block 2 ships and
are higher up.

With the addition of these, SpaceX deleted the ship pin sockets, which had been the way to lift ships using the chopsticks since Ship 20. Eventually, these points will be used to catch a ship as soon as Ship 41, assuming Flight 12 and 13 go well.

Finally, the Starlink dishes have been moved around as well. Two of the dishes are now on the sides of the heat shield, while the other two are on
the leeward side. In low Earth orbit, this should give Starship much better coverage and signal with Starlink.

In the payload bay section, there are several notable changes. A new
addition for Block 3 is the docking ports. Ship 39 currently features only
the passive side of the probe-and-drogue system, which will be used to dock ships together for propellant transfer. The active side could be tested on Flight 13 or 14.

Another addition is a set of apparent vents for the payload bay interior. These would slowly depressurize the bay to equalize pressure with the vacuum of space before the bay door opens.

Looking at the propellant tanks, SpaceX has redesigned the raceways to hold Flight Termination System (FTS) charges at the forward and common domes, eliminating the separate raceway for FTS.

The tanks themselves now hold increased propellant volume without any
increase in vehicle height. Engineers achieved this by lowering the common dome and then the aft dome by approximately 1.106 meters. The added volume allows more liquid methane (LCH4) and liquid oxygen (LOX) to be loaded, boosting overall performance.

The actual stretch of the propellant tanks wont occur until Block 4, which wont be operational until Gigabay becomes operational.

The aft section of the ship is where some of the biggest changes have occurred. First off, the other two passive drudge docking ports are added, completing the set of four.

Between the two ports is the newly designed Ship quick-disconnect plate. This plate is split between methane and oxygen systems, but it is still only a single plate on the ground side. This newer design is intended to eventually support in-space refueling, which Block 3 will enable for Starship.

On either side of the quick disconnect plate and the bottom of the raceways are a newer, more robust set of vents for the much smaller attic area in the engine bay.

This new attic area is only for the very tops of the Raptor 3 Vacuum engines, which now also sit slightly recessed into the ships LOX tank. This attic is formed by a metal roof with possible insulation behind it to protect the
newly flattened thrust puck and aft end of the ship.

As for overall changes to the ship, the Reaction Control Systems (RCS) have been completely redesigned. The placement of the RCS thrusters has been refined for better control, and additional thrusters have been added to support docking and maneuvers in space.

For example, there are newer roll thrusters placed on the payload bay
section, as well as another set about midway down the ship. The thrusters on the payload bay are arranged in two pairs, facing opposite directions for greater control.

Another new set of thrusters comes from pipes built into the aft flap
hinges, which route gases to a new plate that redirects them in certain directions.

Block 3 of the ship has also had improvements to its avionics and battery life, which will help it stay in orbit for 48 hours. This is more than enough time to launch, rendezvous, dock with a depot or another ship, transfer fuel, and then return to Earth.

Last but not least, the heat shield has seen some major changes as well. For starters, SpaceX has introduced a new tile pin design across the entire vehicle. The new pin is a simpler design and could have been introduced due
to changes to the tiles or lessons learned.



On the nose cone, teams have removed an entire horizontal seam to improve sealing during reentry. The horizontal seams on the nose cone are there because SpaceX is trying to cover a tapering object with hex tiles; as the cone tapers, the shield needs to be reset with a seam.

The aft end of the ship now uses the same size standard tile that the rest
of the primary hull uses. This helps reduce the need for special tiles; however, teams then added even more special tiles across the vehicle.

The transition tiles at the forward and aft dome seams are specialty-cut to better integrate and keep gaps between larger and smaller tiles small.



The aft flaps have stayed the same size, but their tile setup has been completely redesigned to reduce glued tiles and switch to pinned tiles wherever possible.

However, SpaceX is testing a newer purple adhesive with patches on the
leeward side of Ship 39 and Ship 40; it is unclear if these tiles will be placed anywhere on the vehicle if the tests work out.

Overall, there are many smaller changes and refinements to Block 3 of the ship, and these will help SpaceX move towards making the other variants possible. Those include tanker, depot, cargo, Human Landing System, Crew, and refining the Starlink ships.

Featured Image: Ship 39 during First Rollback behind the Gateway to Mars
Sign (Credit: Max Evans For NSF)





The post Flight 12 readies for the debut SpaceXs next Ship evolution appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/05/fligth12-debut-spacex-ship-evolution/


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