Lucky 13! Starship Deploys Starlink Satellites and Splashes Down Intact
The mission deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites and marked Starship’s first mostly intact splashdown, a key step for future reuse plans.
- On Friday, July 24, 2026, SpaceX successfully launched its 13th Starship test flight from South Texas, with the 407-foot-tall rocket's upper-stage spacecraft splashing down mostly intact in the Indian Ocean.
- This mission tested the upgraded Version 3 design for improved reliability; while all 33 Super Heavy booster engines ignited during ascent, the booster experienced a harder splashdown than planned in the Gulf of Mexico.
- The upper-stage Ship deployed 20 Starlink satellites as a demonstration test while cameras confirmed most hexagonal heat shield tiles remained attached during the fiery atmospheric reentry over the Indian Ocean.
- "This is the first time we've put an intact Starship in the water," said Dan Huot, a host of the SpaceX webcast. Unlike previous tests, the rocket did not explode in a fireball when it tipped into the water.
- Future missions will utilize Starship for NASA's Artemis moon program and planned launches from Florida. SpaceX aims to deliver 60 Starlink satellites on operational flights, a massive increase from the 29 typically deployed on current Falcon 9 rockets.
48 Articles
48 Articles
SpaceX launches Starship test flight ‘lucky number 13’
SpaceX launched its Starship for the 13th time on July 24, sending a V3 Starship and Super Heavy booster through nearly every milestone the company had planned — deploying the first batch of next-generation Starlink satellites, relighting an engine in space, and bringing the upper stage down to the gentlest ocean splashdown SpaceX has everContinue reading "SpaceX launches Starship test flight ‘lucky number 13’" The post SpaceX launches Starship …
These Are the Stunning Photos and Videos of Starship Flight 13 That Will Take Your Breath Away
A lot of people in this world dread the number 13 for a variety of reasons, and some of them fear it so intensely that they even avoid using it altogether. SpaceX, it seems, doesn’t care in the slightest about such superstitions. In fact, the number has forever entered the company’s history book as a good thing. Over the past weekend, (continue reading...)
Starship in space! See highlights of SpaceX megarocket's epic Flight 13 test launch
The 13th test flight of SpaceX's Starship megarocket went pretty well — and provided some amazing visuals, too.Flight 13 launched on Friday (July 24), sending the 408-foot-tall (124 meters) Starship Version 3 (V3) vehicle aloft from SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas.Starship's Super Heavy booster had some engine issues on its way back to Earth. But the Ship upper stage hit all of its marks, successfully deploying 20 next-gen Starlink satelli…
Lucky 13! Starship deploys Starlink satellites and splashes down intact
SpaceX's Starship super-rocket deployed operational next-generation Starlink satellites for the first time during its 13th flight test, which addressed snags that arose in the previous test.
Deutsche Bank Says Starship Flight 13 Made "Solid Progress" Despite Booster Setback
Deutsche Bank Says Starship Flight 13 Made "Solid Progress" Despite Booster Setback Following last month's record-setting IPO, SpaceX shares have plunged 50% from their peak and now trade about 15% below the $135 offering price. The post-IPO euphoria has faded, stripping Elon Musk of his trillionaire status - at least for now. On Friday evening, SpaceX launched Starship on its 13th test flight and successfully deployed 20 next-generation Starlin…
NASA needs Starship to complete the tests so Artemis III astronauts can practice the coupling
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