SpaceX's twelfth Starship flight test deployed Starlink simulators and two modified Starlink satellites, but a Super Heavy Booster anomaly and a cancelled in‑space Raptor relight meant the vehicle did not demonstrate a deorbit burn.
All 33 Raptor 3 engines on the Super Heavy Booster ignited at liftoff, one engine shut down early, and during hot‑staging a rear flash preceded the booster engines cutting out, the booster tumbling into the Gulf of Mexico, attempting a reignition for landing and then breaking up.
Starship continued on a suborbital trajectory using six Raptor engines after stage separation, one Raptor 3 vacuum engine failed so the remaining engines burned longer, and the cancelled relight removed the planned proof of an in‑space deorbit capability.
The vehicle demonstrated strong attitude control on reentry, executed a deliberate stress manoeuvre and guided itself to a pre‑planned splashdown zone in the Indian Ocean using two Raptors.
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The US Federal Aviation Administration activated a Debris Response Area, which led to six departure delays and five airborne holding events, and the FAA has not yet made a mishap determination.
NASA currently targets Artemis III for late 2027, leaving SpaceX time to prove the Human Landing System variant of Starship can safely rendezvous and dock with Orion in low Earth orbit.
