SpaceX targets July 16 for Starship Flight 13, its first test with functioning Starlink satellites
SpaceX set July 16 as the launch date for Starship's 13th integrated flight test, with a 90-minute window opening at 5:45 pm CT from Starbase in South Texas, seven weeks after the Flight 12 booster crash on May 22; Flight 13 will test fixes applied after the previous launch's problems and will deploy functioning Starlink satellites, described as operational payloads for the first time on a Starship test
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Summary
SpaceX is targeting July 16 for Starship's 13th integrated flight test, with a 90-minute launch window opening at 5:45 pm CT from Starbase in South Texas, seven weeks after the Flight 12 booster crash on May 22. Flight 13 will test fixes applied to resolve the previous launch's problems and will deploy functioning Starlink satellites, described by SpaceNews as operational payloads for the first time on a Starship test. Space.com reported big steps forward are expected if the launch succeeds.
Why it matters
Flight 13 is the first Starship launch since the FAA grounded the program following the Flight 12 booster failure. Deploying functioning Starlink satellites would mark Starship's first operational payload delivery, a milestone SpaceX needs to validate the vehicle for Starlink Gen-2 mass deployment and Artemis lunar missions.
What to watch
- Whether the July 16 window holds or slips and any FAA launch licence updates.
- Performance of the Super Heavy booster fixes, which were the core failure mode on Flight 12.
- Whether functioning Starlink satellites are successfully deployed, confirming Starship's operational payload capability.