SpaceX's Starship V3 deploys most advanced Starlink satellites then pulls off best re-entry yet - Fortune

What the report says

Fortune, citing Associated Press reporting, said SpaceX launched its 13th Starship test flight Friday from its Starbase facility in Cameron County, Texas, sending the 407-foot rocket on an hourlong demonstration that deployed 20 advanced Starlink satellites and ended with the upper spacecraft making what SpaceX described as its strongest re-entry performance so far.

The flight was the second this year using the newer Starship V3 version. SpaceX had replaced six engines on the Super Heavy booster after a launch abort the previous week. All 33 engines fired at liftoff, but too few restarted for the booster’s return, causing it to hit the Gulf of Mexico faster than planned. The upper stage continued east, released the Starlinks about 124 miles above Earth, and later splashed down upright in the Indian Ocean, where it remained floating as the company’s webcast ended.

Fortune reported that the Starlinks completed their planned tasks before re-entering, including short laser and radio communications windows and data downloads. Six carried cameras that sent back images of Starship’s heat shield, which also included sensors and deliberately altered tiles to test resilience during re-entry. Elon Musk wrote on X that SpaceX obtained the heat-shield data it needed, while NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman also welcomed the mission’s lessons.

The test matters because NASA is relying on Starship as the lunar lander for future Artemis moon missions, and SpaceX wants to prove the vehicle can survive re-entry before attempting a return to its Texas launch pad. The company ultimately aims to make both the booster and spacecraft reusable.