SpaceX is preparing a new launch of its ultra-powerful Starship system

SpaceX has scheduled the thirteenth test deployment of the two-stage Starship system for July 16 from the Starbase launch site in South Texas. The launch coincides with a symbolic date—the 57th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, which first took humans to the Moon. 

The upcoming Flight 13 mission is intended to build on the experience gained during the previous flight in May of the new Starship V3 version, during which the Super Heavy first stage crashed into the Gulf of Mexico due to an engine failure. This time, engineers have updated the hardware and software to regain control over the booster’s landing.

Main objectives and flight details:

• Super Heavy booster: will attempt a controlled and safe splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico (formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico) approximately 7 minutes after launch. Return to the launch complex using the Mechazilla manipulators has been postponed for safety reasons.

• Ship: will follow a suborbital trajectory into the Indian Ocean with a planned splashdown in 65 minutes.

• New payload: The spacecraft will attempt to deploy 20 heavy-lift next-generation Starlink V3 communications satellites, each weighing about 2 metric tons. Some of the satellites are equipped with special cameras that will record the behavior of the spacecraft’s heat shield tiles as they endure extreme stresses in the atmosphere.

The success of the Starship V3 tests is critical to NASA’s space program, as this particular variant has been selected for the future Artemis III and Artemis IV lunar missions. The launch broadcast will begin on July 17, 2026, at 01:15 Kyiv time.

Source: Space.com.