SpaceX Scrubs First Starship V3 Launch After Hydraulic Failure, Sets May 22 Window for Flight 12

Overview

SpaceX called off its first attempt to launch the Starship Version 3 megarocket on Thursday evening after a mechanical failure on the launch tower prevented the countdown from completing. The scrub, which occurred at T-40 seconds during what would have been Starship’s twelfth integrated test flight, was attributed by Chief Executive Elon Musk to a single faulty component. “The hydraulic pin holding the tower arm in place did not retract,” Musk wrote on X, as reported by Spaceflight Now. A second launch attempt is scheduled for Friday, May 22, with a 90-minute window opening at 6:30 p.m. EDT, according to Space.com.

What Went Wrong

The countdown for the May 21 attempt entered multiple holds before the scrub was declared at approximately 7:40 p.m. EDT, as reported by Spaceflight Now. SpaceNews identified the cascading failures as problems with “quick-disconnect lines and water diverters on the pad,” along with rising propellant tank temperatures, before the hydraulic pin issue became the determining factor.

The quick-disconnect arm — a mechanism that transfers propellant to the vehicle and must retract before liftoff — remained attached to the Starship upper stage during the final countdown, with an unexpected plume forming behind it during propellant loading, as Spaceflight Now reported. Musk said the team would attempt an overnight fix: “If that can be fixed tonight, there will be another launch attempt tomorrow at 5:30 CT,” according to Spaceflight Now.

SpaceX launch commentator Dan Huot offered context on the difficulties: “New rocket, new pad, we’re learning a lot about these new systems,” according to Space.com.

The Vehicle: What Makes V3 Different

Flight 12 is the first test of the Starship Version 3 configuration, an extensively redesigned vehicle standing 408 feet (124 meters) tall and propelled by 33 Raptor 3 engines on the Super Heavy booster. The booster, designated Booster 19, features three grid fins that are 50 percent larger than those on V2, a redesigned fuel transfer line enabling simultaneous startup of all 33 engines, and a hot staging ring that remains attached to the booster during descent rather than being jettisoned, as SpaceNews detailed. The fuel transfer tube “has been completely redesigned and is now roughly the size of a Falcon 9 first stage,” according to Space.com.

The upper stage, Ship 39, features what Space.com described as “a clean-sheet redesign of its propulsion systems,” including larger propellant tanks, modified actuators, and four docking drogues along with propellant line connections for in-space refueling — hardware essential for NASA’s Artemis lunar landing plans. SpaceNews also noted propellant leak prevention improvements in the upper stage. The rocket lifts off from Pad 2, a newly constructed launch facility at Starbase in South Texas featuring improved propellant loading systems and faster mechanical arms for vehicle capture.

Flight 12 is the first Starship mission in seven months, according to Space.com.

Mission Objectives

The planned suborbital flight carries 20 Starlink simulator satellites and two camera-equipped modified Starlink units designed to scan the vehicle’s heat shield from outside and transmit imagery back to ground teams, as Spaceflight Now reported. Together, the 22-unit payload is described by Space.com as the heaviest ever flown on Starship.

Beyond the payload, the flight plans to demonstrate a single Raptor engine relight in space at approximately T+39 minutes, target a controlled booster splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico roughly seven minutes after launch, and direct Ship 39 toward a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean after a full suborbital arc lasting over an hour, according to Spaceflight Now. SpaceX is not attempting a booster catch during this test flight.

Stakes: IPO and Artemis

The launch follows SpaceX’s public filing of its IPO prospectus on May 20. The company, which as previously reported had confidentially filed for an IPO targeting a $1.75 trillion valuation, highlighted Starship V3’s centrality to Starlink deployment, NASA’s lunar programs, and future orbital data centers in the prospectus. The company disclosed $15 billion invested in Starship development, according to Spaceflight Now, and TechCrunch cited the filing as showing Starlink generated $11 billion in revenue last year.

Musk sought to pre-empt concerns about the program’s resilience: “The Starship production pipeline is full and will complete roughly 10 more ships and about half that number of boosters this year, so, if something goes wrong, it will not be a major setback, unless the launch stand is destroyed,” he said, as reported by Space.com.

Starship V3 is also designated as the crewed lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis 4 mission, targeted for late 2028, per Space.com. The vehicle must achieve orbital capability and demonstrate in-space refueling before that mission can proceed.

Beyond Flight 12: Moon and Mars Missions Announced

SpaceX used the Flight 12 webcast to announce two future crewed deep-space missions involving Chun Wang, a Chinese-born cryptocurrency entrepreneur who commanded the Fram2 Crew Dragon mission — a three and a half day polar orbit flight with three crew members — in 2025, according to Universe Today. Wang, who co-founded the crypto ventures F2Pool and Stakefish and holds Maltese citizenship, will join Dennis and Akiko Tito on a commercial Starship circumlunar flight planned to pass within 200 km of the Moon’s surface over approximately one week, as reported by Space Policy Online and Universe Today.

SpaceX described the circumlunar mission as one that “will help advance Starship’s systems for deep-space, long-duration missions and is planned to fly within 200 km of the Moon’s surface,” according to Space Policy Online.

Following the circumlunar flight, Wang is slated to participate in the first crewed Starship mission around Mars — a two-year round-trip flyby with no landing, as SpaceNews reported. Speaking at the webcast, Wang said: “We’re going to fly to Mars, we’re going to land on Mars, we’re going to build a city on Mars, but let’s get this started with a flyby,” according to SpaceNews. Wang also said in a separate statement: “It’s going to be a flyby mission of Mars. A lot of people are talking about how Mars will be like… But let’s get this started with a flyby,” as reported by Universe Today. No launch date was announced for either the circumlunar or Mars missions.

What We Don’t Know

SpaceX has not confirmed whether overnight repairs to the hydraulic pin system were successful as of publication. The May 22 launch window, opening at 6:30 p.m. EDT and lasting 90 minutes, is contingent on those repairs. No timeline has been announced for the first crewed circumlunar Starship flight with the Tito crew and Chun Wang, nor for the Mars flyby mission.