SpaceX prepares Starship Flight 13 as FAA clears previous test

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration closed its investigation of SpaceX’s Flight 12 test of the Super Heavy‑Starship system on July 13, confirming that no injuries or public‑property damage occurred. With the investigation wrapped up, SpaceX has full regulatory clearance to continue preparations for the next integrated test, Flight 13, which the company has scheduled for as early as Thursday, 16 July (local time).

Flight 12 revealed several anomalies: a 90‑degree orientation error of Super Heavy after hot‑staging, premature termination of the boost‑back burn, and the loss of one Raptor vacuum engine on the upper stage and five of the 33 Super Heavy Raptor engines during the attempted re‑ignition. Despite these issues, the vehicle reached its planned sub‑orbital trajectory and deployed two experimental Starlink V3 satellites equipped with cameras to monitor the ship’s thermal protection tiles.

In response, SpaceX has implemented hardware upgrades to Super Heavy, revised the engine‑start sequencing on the Ship stage, and introduced software and alarm‑system adjustments aimed at improving motor reliability for Flight 13. The upcoming flight will carry 20 functional Starlink V3 satellites for further testing.