SpaceX's Starship completed its 13th flight test on Friday, July 24, launching from Starbase in South Texas at 5:51 p.m. CT, deploying the first-ever operational batch of Starlink V3 satellites, and completing controlled splashdowns of both the Super Heavy booster and the Ship upper stage. The roughly hour-long mission hit every major objective — the cleanest Starship test yet — and lands as SpaceX faces mounting pressure to make the vehicle NASA-ready for the next crewed moon landing.
Super Heavy Splashes In The Gulf, Ship In The Indian Ocean
The Super Heavy booster separated from Starship about two minutes into flight and made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of America roughly six minutes after liftoff. SpaceX communications lead Dan Huot said the booster came down slightly faster than the company had targeted but landed in a controlled attitude — a clear improvement over the Flight 12 booster loss in May. The booster was never intended to be caught by the Mechazilla arms on this flight. The Ship upper stage burned cleanly through its main engine sequence, executed a mid-flight relight of one Raptor as a planned test, and made what Huot called the softest Ship splashdown to date, in the Indian Ocean. It is the first time a V3 Ship has stayed intact through this stage of the profile.
20 Starlink V3 Satellites, Not Mass Simulators
Unlike previous Starship demonstrations, this Ship carried operational payloads. Starship deployed 20 upgraded Starlink V3 satellites from its PEZ-dispenser payload bay, and SpaceX confirmed it could communicate with every satellite by radio and laser link and downloaded key telemetry. Six of the satellites carried high-resolution cameras aimed at the Ship's heat shield and exterior — giving engineers close-up imagery of Ship's condition during the descent. Because the mission followed a suborbital trajectory, the V3 satellites were expected to demise on reentry about 20 minutes after deployment; they were not intended to enter operational service.
Why This Flight Matters
Flight 13 is the second flight of the Starship V3 vehicle and the first to fly since the Flight 13 abort on July 16, when four Raptor engines failed to ignite on the pad. SpaceX corrected those issues and returned Booster 20 to the pad in nine days. It is also the first Starship test since SpaceX became a publicly traded company. The immediate program pressure is NASA's Human Landing System contract, which requires reliable Ship-to-Ship propellant transfer and lunar landing demonstrations by mid-decade. Flight 13's success sets up an operational-cadence push through the fall, ahead of a planned first fully-orbital Starlink deployment mission before year end. SpaceX also launched Northrop Grumman's MRV in July, adding to a busy month for the launcher.
Reporting based on coverage from SpaceX, CNN, iTech Post, Universe Today and Engadget.