SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Deploys 20 V3 Satellites, Achieves Controlled Splashdown

SpaceX successfully completed its 13th Starship test flight on July 24, 2026, launching from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas at 6:51 p.m. EDT. The mission marked a significant milestone by deploying 20 operational V3 Starlink satellites—the first time the company flew genuine satellites rather than test simulators on a Starship mission.

The flight faced multiple delays before launch. An initial attempt on July 16 was aborted at ignition when several engines on the 33-engine Super Heavy booster failed to start, prompting an automatic shutdown. SpaceX replaced six engines and rescheduled the launch for July 23, which was then postponed again to July 24 due to unfavorable weather. The two-stage vehicle, standing approximately 124 meters tall, reached suborbital altitude and completed a one-hour flight profile.

During the mission, the upper stage successfully deployed the 20 V3 satellites from its payload bay at an altitude of approximately 200 kilometers. Six of the satellites carried cameras that photographed the spacecraft's heat shield in real time, transmitting images back to Earth. All satellites communicated via laser links with operational Starlink satellites already in orbit and with ground stations. As planned for this suborbital test, the satellites were allowed to burn up during atmospheric reentry approximately 20 minutes after deployment.

The upper stage achieved two critical technical milestones. It performed a successful engine restart in vacuum—a test that was incomplete during the previous V3 flight in May due to engine failure—and executed a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean, remaining intact rather than exploding upon impact. The booster experienced landing engine failures, however, as several engines failed to ignite during the planned landing burn in the Gulf of Mexico, causing it to impact at a higher-than-expected speed.

The mission validated improvements made after the 12th test flight, which saw the booster rotate approximately 90 degrees during stage separation and experienced multiple engine ignition failures. SpaceX modified engine startup sequencing, improved hardware reliability, and updated control algorithms. The successful V3 heat shield performance, demonstrated through both the intact upper-stage splashdown and sensor data collected by the deployed satellites, represented progress on what company leadership has identified as the rocket's most significant remaining technical challenge for rapid reusability.