SpaceX Starship Flight 13 launch updates: Liftoff scheduled for tomorrow - Space

What the report says

Space.com reported that SpaceX launched its 13th Starship test flight from Starbase, Texas, on July 24, 2026, after earlier delays that included a scrub late in the countdown on July 16 and a weather delay for a planned July 23 attempt. Liftoff occurred at 6:51 p.m. EDT, a slight shift from the planned 6:45 p.m. time, with the Super Heavy booster firing its 33 engines for a suborbital mission expected to last a little over an hour.

According to Space.com’s live updates, the vehicle achieved stage separation, with the Ship upper stage continuing toward space. The flight included several key tests: deployment of 20 Starlink Version 3 satellites, the first such units sent to space; a successful single-Raptor engine relight by the upper stage; and reentry observations using SpaceX’s Starlink connectivity. Space.com reported that six of the Starlink V3 satellites carried cameras intended to send views of Starship back to Earth.

The booster phase appeared less successful. Space.com said the Super Heavy booster seemed to hit the Gulf of Mexico harder than intended after not appearing to ignite all 13 engines planned for its landing burn, citing SpaceX live commentary. The Ship upper stage, identified in the updates as Ship 40, later passed through peak heating and maximum dynamic pressure during reentry before splashing down in the Indian Ocean west of Australia.

The flight matters because Starship is central to SpaceX’s plans for larger payload delivery, Starlink expansion and future deep-space missions. Space.com described the vehicle as the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, and Flight 13 as the latest in a test campaign that began in 2023.