SpaceX prepares Starship Flight 13 launch for July 16

SpaceX is preparing to launch the thirteenth integrated flight test of its Starship rocket, with a launch window opening on the evening of July 16, 2026, from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. This mission, designated Flight 13, will be the second launch of the upgraded "Version 3" Starship and aims to demonstrate fixes for issues encountered on the previous flight while deploying the first functional next-generation Starlink satellites.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced the closure of its investigation into the Flight 12 mishaps on July 13, approving SpaceX's corrective actions and clearing the way for the upcoming launch. The company is targeting a 90-minute launch window opening at 6:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Flight 13 will follow a similar suborbital profile to its predecessor, which launched on May 22. The primary objectives include a successful launch and stage separation, a complete boostback burn for the Super Heavy first stage, and a controlled soft splashdown for both stages-the booster in the Gulf of Mexico and the Starship upper stage in the Indian Ocean. A key test will be the in-space relight of one of the upper stage's Raptor engines, a...