sono
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With the first possible date for the next launch of Starship flight 12 being this coming Tuesday 19th May, the changes that have been made for this version of Starship Version 3 are described as a "clean-sheet redesign" of nearly every system.
The scale of the engineering and what they are doing is next level...each of the 33 raptor engines produces over 250 tons of thrust so the total is over 8000 tons. The ship is designed to carry a payload of 100 metric tons to low earth orbit.
Here is a summary of the massive changes made to the Booster, Ship, Engines, and Launch Pad:
Super Heavy Booster V3 (Booster 19)
- Grid Fins: Reduced from four to three grid fins. They are 50% larger, significantly stronger, and have been "re-clocked" (repositioned) around the hull.
- Lowered Fins & Internal Hardware: The grid fins have been moved lower on the booster to reduce heat exposure during hot-staging. The fin shafts, actuators, and fixed structures have been moved inside the main fuel tank for protection, and they now feature a new catch point for tower lift and catch operations.
- Integrated Hot Stage: The hot-stage ring is no longer a separate piece that is jettisoned; it is fully integrated and stays on for the whole flight. The booster's forward dome is protected by a new non-structural steel layer combined with internal fuel tank pressure.
- Massive Fuel Transfer Tube: The internal plumbing has been completely redesigned and is now roughly the size of an entire Falcon 9 first stage. This allows massive simultaneous fuel flow, enabling all 33 engines to start
at exactly the same time and allowing for faster, more reliable flip manoeuvres.
- Aft End & Fire Suppression: Individual engine shrouds and the carbon dioxide fire suppression system have been completely removed. Shielding is now placed between the engines and around the thrust vector control hardware.
- Propellant Loading: The booster now features two physically separate connection points for fuel and oxidizer loading to increase redundancy and isolation.
Starship Upper Stage V3 (Ship 39)
- Aft Flap Actuation: Moved from two actuators per flap to a single actuator powered by three motors, which saves mass, lowers costs, and improves reliability.
- Payload & Dispenser: The Starlink "Pez dispenser" door features new actuators and inverters for faster satellite deployment. The ship will carry 22 Starlink simulators (up from 8 on Flight 11). Two of these simulators are equipped to scan the ship's heat shield and beam imagery back to operators.
- In-Space Refuelling Hardware: Crucial for future Artemis moon missions, the ship now features four docking drogues on its leeward side and propellant feed connections for ship-to-ship propellant transfer.
- Avionics & Power: A major avionics rebuild condenses systems into about 60 custom units (integrating batteries, inverters, and distribution) capable of delivering 9 megawatts of peak power.
- Sensors & Cameras: Features multi-sensor navigation for autonomous flight new precision radio-frequency sensors to measure propellant in microgravity, and an upgraded camera system (50 views) powered by a 480 Mbps low-latency
Starlink connection.
- Heat Shield: Just a single heat shield tile was intentionally removed to measure aerodynamic loads (compared to multiple missing tiles on V2).
Raptor 3 Engines
- Increased Thrust: Sea-level engines now produce 250 tons of thrust (up from 230), and vacuum engines produce 275 tons (up from 258).
- Simplified & Lighter: The mass of each engine dropped to 1,525 kg (saving about 1 ton per engine).
- Integrated Protection: Sensors and controllers are now internally integrated and covered by engine thermal protection, eliminating the need for the large individual engine encapsulations/shrouds seen on V2.
- New Ignition: Moving away from separate igniters, the engines utilize a redesigned ignition system that relies on pressure and heat.
Launch Pad & Infrastructure (Pad 2)
- Flame Diverter: The launch mount features a completely redesigned bidirectional flame diverter and top deck deflector that handle the 8,250 tons of thrust without any ablation or need for refurbishment.
- Tower "Chopsticks": The catch arms are now shorter for faster motion during catch operations, and their main actuators were changed from hydraulic to electromechanical to improve speed and reliability.
- Propellant Farm: Upgraded with increased storage and more pumps, drastically reducing the time it takes to fill the rocket with fuel.
- Quick Disconnects: The ship's quick disconnect arm was strengthened and rotates further away during launch. The booster's fuelling disconnects were moved to the opposite side of the mount and split into separate methane and oxygen mechanisms.
SpaceX recently released this video which contains the summary of the journey and has descriptions by some of the engineers working on this, together with some stunning footage
Edit:
Update 21st May 2025: expected Launch Today
The scale of the engineering and what they are doing is next level...each of the 33 raptor engines produces over 250 tons of thrust so the total is over 8000 tons. The ship is designed to carry a payload of 100 metric tons to low earth orbit.
Here is a summary of the massive changes made to the Booster, Ship, Engines, and Launch Pad:
Super Heavy Booster V3 (Booster 19)
- Grid Fins: Reduced from four to three grid fins. They are 50% larger, significantly stronger, and have been "re-clocked" (repositioned) around the hull.
- Lowered Fins & Internal Hardware: The grid fins have been moved lower on the booster to reduce heat exposure during hot-staging. The fin shafts, actuators, and fixed structures have been moved inside the main fuel tank for protection, and they now feature a new catch point for tower lift and catch operations.
- Integrated Hot Stage: The hot-stage ring is no longer a separate piece that is jettisoned; it is fully integrated and stays on for the whole flight. The booster's forward dome is protected by a new non-structural steel layer combined with internal fuel tank pressure.
- Massive Fuel Transfer Tube: The internal plumbing has been completely redesigned and is now roughly the size of an entire Falcon 9 first stage. This allows massive simultaneous fuel flow, enabling all 33 engines to start
at exactly the same time and allowing for faster, more reliable flip manoeuvres.
- Aft End & Fire Suppression: Individual engine shrouds and the carbon dioxide fire suppression system have been completely removed. Shielding is now placed between the engines and around the thrust vector control hardware.
- Propellant Loading: The booster now features two physically separate connection points for fuel and oxidizer loading to increase redundancy and isolation.
Starship Upper Stage V3 (Ship 39)
- Aft Flap Actuation: Moved from two actuators per flap to a single actuator powered by three motors, which saves mass, lowers costs, and improves reliability.
- Payload & Dispenser: The Starlink "Pez dispenser" door features new actuators and inverters for faster satellite deployment. The ship will carry 22 Starlink simulators (up from 8 on Flight 11). Two of these simulators are equipped to scan the ship's heat shield and beam imagery back to operators.
- In-Space Refuelling Hardware: Crucial for future Artemis moon missions, the ship now features four docking drogues on its leeward side and propellant feed connections for ship-to-ship propellant transfer.
- Avionics & Power: A major avionics rebuild condenses systems into about 60 custom units (integrating batteries, inverters, and distribution) capable of delivering 9 megawatts of peak power.
- Sensors & Cameras: Features multi-sensor navigation for autonomous flight new precision radio-frequency sensors to measure propellant in microgravity, and an upgraded camera system (50 views) powered by a 480 Mbps low-latency
Starlink connection.
- Heat Shield: Just a single heat shield tile was intentionally removed to measure aerodynamic loads (compared to multiple missing tiles on V2).
Raptor 3 Engines
- Increased Thrust: Sea-level engines now produce 250 tons of thrust (up from 230), and vacuum engines produce 275 tons (up from 258).
- Simplified & Lighter: The mass of each engine dropped to 1,525 kg (saving about 1 ton per engine).
- Integrated Protection: Sensors and controllers are now internally integrated and covered by engine thermal protection, eliminating the need for the large individual engine encapsulations/shrouds seen on V2.
- New Ignition: Moving away from separate igniters, the engines utilize a redesigned ignition system that relies on pressure and heat.
Launch Pad & Infrastructure (Pad 2)
- Flame Diverter: The launch mount features a completely redesigned bidirectional flame diverter and top deck deflector that handle the 8,250 tons of thrust without any ablation or need for refurbishment.
- Tower "Chopsticks": The catch arms are now shorter for faster motion during catch operations, and their main actuators were changed from hydraulic to electromechanical to improve speed and reliability.
- Propellant Farm: Upgraded with increased storage and more pumps, drastically reducing the time it takes to fill the rocket with fuel.
- Quick Disconnects: The ship's quick disconnect arm was strengthened and rotates further away during launch. The booster's fuelling disconnects were moved to the opposite side of the mount and split into separate methane and oxygen mechanisms.
SpaceX recently released this video which contains the summary of the journey and has descriptions by some of the engineers working on this, together with some stunning footage
Edit:
Update 21st May 2025: expected Launch Today
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