Full Breakdown
Starship Flight 13: 13th Test Launch Marks Progress and Setbacks for SpaceX’s Megarocket
7/25/2026, 1:09:34 PM
Core Event – July 24, 2026 Test Flight
On July 24, 2026, SpaceX lifted off its Starship V3 rocket and Super Heavy booster from Starbase in South Texas. About two minutes after liftoff the booster separated and attempted a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, but only a subset of its Raptor engines reignited, resulting in a hard impact. The upper-stage “Ship” continued on a sub-orbital trajectory, deployed 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, and performed a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean, where it floated intact and transmitted telemetry.
Background & Context
The flight was the first Starship launch since SpaceX’s June 2026 IPO and the second flight of the Version 3 design. A May 2026 test (Flight 12) saw the booster fail to land after engine trouble. Attempts on July 16 were aborted after a launch-pad engine-hold, and a weather-related scrub on July 23 delayed the mission. The company replaced several first-stage Raptor engines after the July 16 abort.
Data & Statistics
- 13th overall Starship flight; 2nd for Version 3.
- Rocket height: 407 ft (124 m).
- Booster: 33 Raptor engines; only 5 ignited during the landing burn.
- Upper stage: 6 Raptor engines; one relit for a post-flight test.
- 20 Starlink V3 satellites deployed ~18 minutes after launch; designed to burn up after ~20 minutes.
- Stock price: down 43 % from its peak on June 16.
Official Statements & Responses
SpaceX said the booster’s landing “was not perfect” because the engine relight was incomplete, but the hard splashdown provided data for future improvements. The company highlighted the “soft splashdown” of the upper stage as the first intact heat-shield observation in the Indian Ocean, noting that telemetry and visual data will inform heat-shield upgrades. NASA monitored the flight as a critical step toward using Starship for Artemis IV lunar landings and emphasized the need for a successful orbital flight before crewed docking tests slated for next year.
Criticism & Opposition
Critics noted the booster’s engine-relight issue, warning that a similar failure during a launch-pad landing could damage the pad.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Starship is intact, floating in the ocean and transmitting telemetry!” — SpaceX CEO Elon Musk
- “It didn't look like we lit all 13 engines that we were planning for that initial landing burn,” — Dan Huot, SpaceX spokesperson
- “Congrats on getting Flight 13 underway,” — NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
Timeline
What’s Next
SpaceX is preparing Starship for a NASA-mandated orbital test flight slated for next year, after which the vehicle is expected to support Artemis IV crewed lunar missions. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman reiterated that the agency is “excited for what will be learned from this mission” and stressed the importance of achieving orbit before the Artemis III crewed docking rehearsal planned for the following year.
