Starship
SpaceX · Earth orbit (development flights)
Flight 13 in July 2026 deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites for the first time and proved an in-space Raptor relight.
At a glance
- Phase
- testing
- Operator
- SpaceX
- Destination
- Earth orbit (development flights)
- Last verified
- 2026-08-07
Where it stands
Flight 13, the second flight of the next-generation Starship, launched from Pad 2 at Starbase on 24 July 2026 and completed the first deployment of 20 Starlink V3 satellites, an in-space Raptor relight and a soft, intact ship splashdown; the booster relit only a subset of engines and hit the Gulf hard.
The mission
SpaceX flew Starship's thirteenth flight test on 24 July 2026, the second flight of the next-generation vehicle, from Pad 2 at Starbase with all 33 Raptor engines powering the Super Heavy booster. The company confirmed deployment of 20 Starlink V3 satellites for the first time, a successful in-space Raptor engine relight, Super Heavy's splashdown in the Gulf, and Starship's splashdown in the Indian Ocean after a banking manoeuvre that mimics the final approach for a future return-to-Starbase catch. SpaceX described the flight as providing priceless data across air, space and sea.
