Overview
- SpaceX launched Flight 13 from Starbase on Friday, July 24, and the upper stage deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites on a suborbital test that allowed them to briefly communicate before burning up as planned.
- The Starship upper stage survived atmospheric reentry, remained afloat in the Indian Ocean, transmitted first clear images and sensor data of an undamaged heat shield, and completed an in‑space Raptor engine relight.
- The Super Heavy booster failed to relight enough Raptor engines for a controlled landing and made a hard splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, leaving booster restart reliability and pad‑return risk unresolved.
- Elon Musk said SpaceX will review Flight 13 telemetry and, unless problems are found, will attempt to catch the ship with the Starbase tower on Flight 14, a step that would advance full reuse if successful.
- The test moves Starship closer to routine large Starlink launches and NASA lunar plans while keeping investor and regulator scrutiny high because propulsion restart and recovery gaps must be closed before regular operations.