The FAA closed its Flight 12 mishap investigation on July 13, 2026, and cleared SpaceX to proceed. Starship Flight 13 lifts off from Starbase, Texas no earlier than July 16 at 6:45 p.m. EDT. This is the first time Starlink satellites will ever launch aboard the world's most powerful rocket.
Vehicle height
123 m (403 ft), tallest rocket ever flown
Thrust at liftoff
74.4 MN (16.7 million lbf), twice the Saturn V
Starlink V3 satellites aboard
20 (first Starlink on Starship)
Mission duration
approx. 65 minutes (suborbital profile)
Engines (Booster 20)
33 Raptor 3
Successful static fire
July 9, 2026, all 33 engines lit
What to watch for on July 16
All 33 Raptor 3 engines ignite cleanly at T-0
Max-Q structural loads on the new V3 interstage
Hot-staging separation (ship engines light before booster cuts out)
Booster boostback burn and grid-fin descent
Booster controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico (fixed from Flight 12)
Payload door opens in space
20 Starlink V3 satellites deploy cleanly at altitude
Ship survives reentry plasma blackout
Ship splashdown in the Indian Ocean
Why 20 Starlink satellites will burn up on purpose: Flight 13 follows a suborbital arc, so the satellites are not going into orbit. They will extend solar arrays, test inter-satellite lasers, and scan Starship's heat shield with onboard cameras before burning up about 20 minutes after deployment. Six are painted white in patches to simulate missing tiles and serve as visible imaging targets.
[icon:info] The V3 leap Block 3 Raptor engines produce around 280 tonnes of thrust each, up from the original 200 tonnes, with dramatically simplified plumbing. The interstage is now integrated directly into the booster structure, shaving weight and improving separation dynamics. Three grid fins replace the previous four, reducing drag.
[icon:star] What comes next If Flight 13 succeeds, SpaceX intends rapid reuse. Booster 20 could reflown within weeks. Ship payloads will increase toward the full 100-150 tonne-to-orbit target. NASA's Artemis III mission, which will use a Starship variant to land humans on the Moon, is scheduled for 2027.
"Starship's pace of iteration is what allows us to reach orbit and beyond. Every flight teaches us what the next one needs to be.
"Elon Musk
