SpaceX Starship completes 13th test flight, achieves ocean splashdown and deploys Starlink V3 satellites

On July 24, 2026, SpaceX launched the 13th integrated test flight of its Starship system from the Starbase facility in South Texas. The flight used the Block 3 configuration, with the Super Heavy B20 booster powered by 33 Raptor 3 engines and the Starship S40 upper stage using six Raptor engines. After a successful ascent and stage separation, the Super Heavy performed a boost‑back maneuver before a hard splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship continued on a sub‑orbital trajectory.

The mission deployed 20 next‑generation Starlink V3 satellites, each equipped with cameras that captured unprecedented video of the Starship’s heat shield and engine firings from orbit. The upper stage executed a controlled ocean splashdown in the Indian Ocean, remaining largely intact and floating for days, providing valuable data on thermal protection performance. Engineers also demonstrated a brief in‑space Raptor engine restart, a key capability for future orbital missions.

These results mark the first successful ocean landing of the Starship upper stage, the first in‑space imaging of the vehicle’s heat shield, and further validation of the reusable launch system that SpaceX aims to use for lunar and Mars missions.