SpaceXStarship V3Orbital Launch Pad 2, SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA
Flight 13
Launched
July 24, 2026 · 22:51 UTC
Image: SpaceX
Summary
SpaceX’s Starship Flight 13 concluded successfully, marking the second flight of the Starship V3. For the first time, it carried 20 V3 Starlink satellites, including six with cameras to image the heat shield for future return-to-launch-site operations.
- Watch
- SpaceX Flight 13The Space Devs
- Watch Live: SpaceX Starship launches on 13th test flightSpaceflight Now
- SpaceX Starship Flight 13 - Launch & Landing - ATTEMPT 3 LAUNCH STREAMNASASpaceflight
- Vehicle
- Starship V3 · SpaceXSpaceX Starship, Starlink
- Booster
- Booster 20 · flight 1 · Ocean at Gulf of Mexico · landing failed19/24 landed here
- Mission
- Test Flight · Suborbital (Sub)for SpX
- Milestone
- 2nd Starship V3 flightSpaceX's 708th launch89th this year
Spacecraft
Ship 40 (S40)
Second V3 Starship, used on the 13th Starship test flight.
- Destination: Suborbital
- Mission length: 1 hour
Ship 40 has successfully performed a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
Flight preview
Simulate in Flight ClubOrbit: representative
Target from padside's flight model. Not a catalogued object; this panel switches to the tracked orbit once the object is catalogued. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Flight timeline
- T−50MGO for Prop Load
- T−36M33SStage 1 LOX Load
- T−35MStage 1 LNG Load
- T−34M14SStage 2 LNG Load
- T−34M13SStage 2 LOX Load
- T−21M40SEngine Chill
- T−2M50SStage 1 Propellant Load Complete
- T−2M10SStage 2 Propellant Load Complete
- T−30SGO for Launch
- T−17SFlame Deflector Activation
- T−3SIgnition
- T−0Liftoff
- T−0Excitement Guaranteed
- T+58SMax-Q
- T+2M18SMECO
- T+2M21SStage 2 Separation
- T+2M25SBooster Boostback Burn Startup
- T+3M3SBooster Boostback Burn Shutdown
- T+6M27SStage 1 Landing Burn
- T+6M53SStage 1 Landing
- T+8M5SSECO-1
- T+16M40SPayload Deployment Sequence Start
- T+27M39SPayload Deployment Sequence End
- T+38M58SSEB-2
- T+47M30SAtmospheric Entry
- T+1H2M23SStarship Transonic
- T+1H3M1SStarship Subsonic
- T+1H5M1SStarship Landing Burn
- T+1H5M3SLanding Flip
- T+1H5M12SStarship Landing
- T+1H5M19SStarship Landing
- T+1H5M21SStarship Landing
About this launch
Flight 13 launched on a SpaceX Starship V3 from Orbital Launch Pad 2, SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA on July 24, 2026 at 22:51 UTC. The launch window ran from 22:45 to 00:15 UTC. It was SpaceX's 708th launch and 89th this year. It was the 2nd Starship V3 flight. Booster Booster 20 flew for the 1st time and its landing at Gulf of Mexico failed. The payload was bound for Suborbital (Sub). The spacecraft was Ship 40 (S40).
13th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. Second flight of Starship V3. For the first time, Starship will carry 20 V3 Starlink satellites to space, which will extend solar arrays and antennas and will attempt to connect with ground stations in South Africa and the larger Starlink constellation via high-capacity lasers. 6 of the satellites have been modified with a suite of cameras to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators to continue testing methods of analyzing Starship’s heat shield readiness for return to launch site on future missions. Several tiles on Starship have been painted white to simulate missing tiles and serve as imaging targets in the test.
News
Ship 40 Back At Starbase After Surprise Reentry SurvivalThe Starship second stage of SpaceX’s Integrated Flight Test-13 is back at Starbase, TX after surprisingly surviving splashdown in the Indian Ocean in July. To date, it is the only […]
Ship 40 Returns Home as Ship 42 gets more Cryo Proof TestingShip 42 for Flight 15 has headed back out to Massey’s for more cryo-proof testing…
Ship 40 arrives at Christmas Island, Plans Return to StarbaseSpaceX has successfully guided Starship Ship 40 to a location just off the coast of…
While SpaceX recovers Ship 40, Ship 41 prepares for testing ahead of Flight 14SpaceX is recovering the intact Ship 40 from the Indian Ocean after its soft landing…
Starship Soars as SpaceX Looks to AISpaceX’s colossal Starship launch vehicle lifted off July 24th from the company’s launch facility in South Texas on its thirteenth integrated flight test.
Rocket Report: Big deals for US launch firms, RFA One debut is delayed"America won the first Space Race, and we can do it again."
Ship 40’s flawless flight promotes next mission catch potentialSpaceX’s Starship Flight 13 demonstrated that the Ship can complete its mission and return intact,…
Despite recent successes, rapid reuse of Starship remains a tough nut to crackNASA has not made substantial investments in thermal protection research for decades.
Pad
Orbital Launch Pad 2, SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA
2nd launch from Orbital Launch Pad 2, 2nd this year · 22nd from SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA
Local pad time at liftoff: Jul 24, 5:51 PM CDT, in daylight
3 launches from this pad · 23 from SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA
63 days after the previous launch from this pad
Updates
Ship has splashed down.
Show 9 earlier updates
Liftoff.
Cosmic_Penguin · 7/24/2026 · source
Unofficial Re-stream by SPACE AFFAIRS has started
LL2 · 7/24/2026 · source
Now targeting Jul 24 at 22:51 UTC
Cosmic_Penguin · 7/24/2026 · source
Rescheduled to July 24 due to launch site weather.
Cosmic_Penguin · 7/23/2026 · source
Delayed to NET July 23.
Cosmic_Penguin · 7/19/2026 · source
Setting GO.
Cosmic_Penguin · 7/17/2026 · source
NET July 20, TBC.
Cosmic_Penguin · 7/17/2026 · source
Reverted back to NET July TBD pending more information.
Cosmic_Penguin · 7/16/2026 · source
Scrubbed for the day.
Cosmic_Penguin · 7/16/2026 · source
Questions
When did Flight 13 launch?
Flight 13 launched on July 24, 2026 at 22:51 UTC. The launch window ran from 22:45 to 00:15 UTC.
Where can I watch Flight 13?
Coverage: SpaceX Flight 13; Watch Live: SpaceX Starship launches on 13th test flight; SpaceX Starship Flight 13 - Launch & Landing - ATTEMPT 3 LAUNCH STREAM. Watch the replay
What rocket launched Flight 13?
Starship V3, flown by SpaceX. Starship V3 spec sheet
Where did Flight 13 launch from?
Orbital Launch Pad 2, SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA. Liftoff was Jul 24, 5:51 PM CDT local time at the pad.
Did the booster land?
Booster Booster 20 flew for the 1st time and its landing at Gulf of Mexico failed.
What orbit was Flight 13 going to?
Suborbital (Sub), a test flight mission.
Which program is Flight 13 part of?
SpaceX Starship and Starlink. About SpaceX Starship