Starship test flight 13 should happen this afternoon but of course there's no guarantee. The launch was supposed to happen last week but actually got scrubbed when four of the engines didn't light properly. Here's what that looked like.
Elon Musk said two of the engines would be replaced.
To be confident of a good flight, 2 Raptors will be removed & replaced. Most probable launch timing is early next week.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 17, 2026
Here's more detail on that problem and how they addressed it.
Four of Super Heavy’s 33 Raptor engines aborted at startup due to issues with their ox turbopumps on our launch attempt last week pic.twitter.com/Y5szDLd6f9
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 24, 2026
Another launch attempt was scheduled for yesterday but that one got scrubbed because of weather.
Poor weather conditions has forced SpaceX to scrub its second attempt to launch the Starship 13 test flight on Thursday evening...
"A key objective for the flight test is to get clear imagery from the ground of Starship’s heatshield as it flies at a higher dynamic pressure during ascent, which won't be possible with today's weather conditions. Visibility is forecast to be ideal for a Friday attempt," the Texas-based company confirmed.
Today the weather is looking good and the launch is about 30 minutes away as I write this. If all goes well, this mission will be nearly identical to test flight 12. The rocket will launch, separate, and the booster should return for a water landing. The ship will continue to circle the globe and will launch a number of real Starlink satellites as a test. The ship will then do a water landing in the Indian Ocean assuming all goes well.
On test flight 12, the booster appeared to have an engine explode on the boost back phase, where the booster returns to the area where it was launched. Also, one of the six engines on the ship went out, though the mission was able to continue by just extending the burn time a bit. So obviously they are hoping today that neither of those problems happen.
The launch is getting really close, so here's the live video which you can view by scrolling back. I'll provide updates below as the launch goes on.
Watch Starship's thirteenth flight test https://t.co/qkYYJiX24h
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 23, 2026
Update: The launch was a success. No engines out on the booster or the ship after separation.
There is some question about the booster landing. It seemed to be coming in a little faster than normal. Not sure what happened there.
Super Heavy has splashed down in the Gulf of America! pic.twitter.com/lHdEznFpT4
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 24, 2026
Next up is the satellite launch.
Update: The satellite launch was also a success.
Excited for the first deployment of @Starlink V3 sats - we’ve successfully communicated with all sats using RF and laser links and been able to download key telemetry. https://t.co/R0u8N9LffU
— Michael Nicolls (@michaelnicollsx) July 24, 2026
The ship also successfully re-lit one engine in space.
Starship has successfully ignited one of its Raptor engines while in space, testing a maneuver that will be needed on future orbital missions pic.twitter.com/xjPA2ugZF5
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 24, 2026
Starship is now headed for the ocean. Usually we get good views of the belly flop followed by the burn to slow for a simulated landing over the ocean.
Update: The simulated landing looked perfect. The rocket just fell down in the water and floated.
Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on the 13th flight test of Starship! pic.twitter.com/g27YJCQgiN
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 24, 2026
Also they mentioned that all 20 test satellites worked and connected by lasers to the Star link infrastructure. So it's a near perfect day for Space X. Just waiting to see what happened with that booster landing.
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