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SpaceX Starship V3 Delayed, Booster Hard Splashdown Off Texas

7/27/2026

Summary

Story summary

SpaceX launched Starship V3 on mission 13 from Starbase in Texas on July 24, 2026.
The launch was delayed after engine-start failures and again on July 23 because of Tropical Storm Bertha.
Super Heavy’s 236-foot booster, after firing all 33 Raptor engines, suffered five relight failures that caused a faster splashdown that Dan Huot called “hard.”
The booster splashed down off Texas while SpaceX seeks NASA’s Artemis lunar lander contract pending orbital-flight proof.

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Story summary

SpaceX launched Starship V3 on mission 13 from Starbase in Texas on July 24, 2026.
The launch was delayed after engine-start failures and again on July 23 because of Tropical Storm Bertha.
Super Heavy’s 236-foot booster, after firing all 33 Raptor engines, suffered five relight failures that caused a faster splashdown that Dan Huot called “hard.”
The booster splashed down off Texas while SpaceX seeks NASA’s Artemis lunar lander contract pending orbital-flight proof.