Overview
- The 13th Starship test flight succeeded on Saturday when the vehicle launched from Texas, released 20 Starlink V3 satellites and an upper stage came down intact in the Indian Ocean.
- SpaceX confirmed engineers established radio and laser links with the V3 satellites before they reentered and burned up as planned because they were not placed into stable orbit.
- The Super Heavy booster suffered partial Raptor 3 engine failures during its landing burn and hit the water harder than planned, with roughly five of the planned 13 landing‑burn engines firing according to company statements.
- Post‑splashdown photos and reporting show visible damage to Starship’s heat‑shield tiles, a problem that could force repairs between flights and slow the fast reuse that the program depends on.
- Separate reporting says SpaceX has begun turning away new Falcon 9 reservations and slowed some Falcon 9 component work, a move that raises commercial and programmatic pressure to make Starship reliably reusable for Starlink and NASA missions.