SpaceX Starship 13th Test Flight Deploys Starlink V3

SpaceX successfully launched its Starship rocket on its 13th test flight on July 24, 2026, achieving a major milestone by deploying operational next-generation Starlink satellites for the first time while demonstrating significant progress in recovering the upper stage. The launch from the company's Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas, at 5:51 p.m. Central Time marked the second flight of the upgraded "Version 3" vehicle and the first since SpaceX's initial public offering last month.

The flight followed a scrubbed attempt on July 16, when several booster engines failed to ignite, and a weather-related delay on July 23. This time, all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster fired at liftoff. Approximately two minutes into the flight, the booster separated from the Starship upper stage. About 18 minutes after launch, the upper stage deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites, which successfully unfolded their solar arrays and established communications with ground stations and the existing Starlink constellation via radio and laser links. The satellites were not placed into a permanent orbit and reentered the atmosphere roughly 20 minutes later.