SpaceX Starship Flight 13

Mostly, according to SpaceX. Starship Flight 13 lifted off on July 24, 2026, after two earlier setbacks (an engine-abort on July 16 and a weather delay on July 23). The mission's headline goal, deploying 20 Starlink v3 satellites on a suborbital trajectory, was accomplished. SpaceX described the overall result as a 'mostly successful test,' which in SpaceX language typically means the primary mission succeeded with some secondary elements still being evaluated. Sources: Space.com, Spaceflight Now.

July 24, 2026. It was the third launch attempt: the first attempt on July 16 was aborted due to an engine anomaly detected before liftoff; a second attempt on July 23 was scrubbed for weather. Flight 13 departed from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

Starlink v3 is the third major generation of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites. Compared to earlier versions, Starlink v3 satellites are engineered for higher bandwidth, improved latency, and direct-to-cell connectivity, enabling mobile phones to connect to Starlink without specialist hardware. Flight 13 carried the first 20 Starlink v3 satellites ever deployed, a significant step in SpaceX's ambition to upgrade its global internet constellation.

On July 24, 2026, Starship Flight 13 launched from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The mission successfully deployed 20 Starlink v3 satellites on a suborbital arc, the first time third-generation Starlink satellites had flown aboard Starship. The Starship upper stage (Ship 40) and the Super Heavy booster (Booster 20) both attempted controlled splashdowns. SpaceX described the overall outcome as a 'mostly successful test.' Sources: Space.com, Spaceflight Now.

Fully assembled (Super Heavy booster + Starship upper stage), the vehicle stands approximately 121 metres (397 feet) tall, the tallest rocket ever built. The Super Heavy booster generates roughly 74 meganewtons (16.7 million pounds) of thrust from its 33 Raptor engines, making it the most powerful rocket engine cluster ever flown.

As of Flight 13 on July 24, 2026, Starship has completed 13 integrated flight tests since the program began. Early flights in 2023 ended in rapid unscheduled disassemblies; later missions progressively demonstrated controlled flight, stage separation, booster recovery, and, with Flight 13, operational payload delivery.

Falcon 9 is SpaceX's proven medium-lift rocket, capable of lifting about 22 tonnes to low Earth orbit per flight. Starship is SpaceX's next-generation super-heavy vehicle, designed to lift 100–150 tonnes to low Earth orbit, roughly five to seven times more. Falcon 9 uses kerosene (RP-1); Starship uses liquid methane. Both are designed for reusability, but Starship aims for rapid full reusability to dramatically reduce the cost per kilogram to orbit.

Yes, SpaceX holds a NASA Human Landing System (HLS) contract to deliver a lunar variant of Starship that will land astronauts on the Moon as part of the Artemis programme. The exact mission timeline depends on Starship's continued development. Flight 13 is a step in building the reliability required for crewed lunar and eventually Mars missions.

Flight 13 had two delays before the July 24 launch. The first attempt on July 16, 2026 was aborted due to an engine anomaly detected during the countdown before liftoff. The second attempt on July 23 was scrubbed because of unfavorable weather conditions at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The third attempt on July 24 proceeded to a successful launch.