SpaceX ramps up Starlink launches, readies Starship test flight 13 and unveils new V5 user terminal

SpaceX launched 27 additional Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 13, using a Falcon 9 booster on its 15th flight and achieving the droneship’s 210th landing. The following night a second Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, delivering 29 more Starlink satellites and marking the company’s 600th reuse of a flight‑proven booster.

The company also prepared for Starship test flight 13, scheduled for July 16 from Starbase, Texas. After the FAA concluded its investigation of the May 22 anomaly, SpaceX received clearance to resume the test, which will carry 20 next‑generation Starlink V3 satellites and aim to demonstrate a controlled return‑to‑Earth splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

Separately, SpaceX added a new Starlink V5 user terminal to its mobile app. The V5 dish is roughly half the size of the previous V4 model, weighs 2.4 lb, and consumes 35‑50 W of power, but offers slightly lower peak speeds (up to 375 Mbps). It will be bundled with the smaller Router Mini and is being rolled out in select U.S. areas.