Overview
- Starship Flight 13 launched from Starbase, Texas on July 24, 2026 and deployed 20 Starlink V3 test satellites before stage separation.
- The upper stage, Ship 40, made an unusually intact splashdown in the Indian Ocean and remained airtight and afloat, allowing close-up access to its exterior.
- Recovery teams have been towing Ship toward Western Australia but Elon Musk said on August 7 that the operation is deteriorating and the vehicle may be abandoned.
- SpaceX confirmed it obtained high-resolution photos of thermal-protection tiles and the engine section and will pair that imagery with flight telemetry to diagnose heat‑shield performance.
- The Super Heavy booster suffered a partial engine‑restart failure and hard splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, underscoring engine‑restart reliability issues that could slow plans for rapid reuse and invite regulator and customer scrutiny.