The full story of SpaceX's Starship Flight 12

Key Points:

• SpaceX successfully launched Starship V3 on May 22 from Pad 2 in Texas, completing a complex test flight despite engine failures on the Super Heavy booster, which resulted in a hard landing in the Gulf of Mexico; the Starship upper stage completed its sub-orbital trajectory and a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
• The mission deployed 22 payloads, including 20 Starlink simulator satellites and two modified satellites equipped with cameras to inspect Starship's heat shield from orbit, marking a significant advancement toward automated, data-driven post-flight inspections critical for rapid reusability and future missions to the Moon and Mars.
• Prior to the successful launch, SpaceX experienced two scrubs due to technical issues with the launch tower's hydraulic system, highlighting the challenges of preparing the world's most powerful rocket and emphasizing the company's iterative development approach.
• SpaceX filed its S-1 registration statement with the SEC on May 20, 2026, revealing $18.7 billion in 2025 revenue driven mainly by Starlink, but also a $4.9 billion loss largely due to heavy investment in Elon Musk's AI company xAI; the company plans a historic IPO targeting $75 billion at a $1.75 trillion valuation.
• Tesla released Full Self-Driving (FSD) version 14.3.3, which reduces driver nagging and improves usability with features like faster Smart Summon and voice commands, reflecting Tesla's data-driven approach to gradually easing driver monitoring while emphasizing that FSD is not fully autonomous and drivers must remain attentive.