[CLSTR]
< Back to situations

We’ll email you as it develops, and you can follow the whole thread from day one.

[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]

5 clusters · 25 sources · 25 days · First seen · Last updated

Categories: TECHNOLOGY

SpaceX Starship Flight 13 cleared after FAA close

Overview

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration reaffirmed its clearance for SpaceX’s thirteenth integrated Starship test on 11 July 2026, after verifying corrective actions taken following the May SN12 booster anomaly. The launch window opens around 6:30 p.m. EDT on 16 July, with a possible shift to 17 July, from Starbase, Texas. The vehicle will carry 20 next‑generation Starlink V3 satellites, six equipped with cameras to record heat‑shield performance, and will attempt a controlled splash‑down in the Indian Ocean. On 13 July the FAA closed its investigation of Flight 12, confirming no injuries or public‑property damage and granting SpaceX full regulatory clearance to proceed with Flight 13. Flight 12 had suffered a 90‑degree orientation error of Super Heavy after hot‑staging, an early termination of the boost‑back burn, and the loss of one upper‑stage Raptor vacuum engine and five of the 33 Super Heavy Raptor engines during re‑ignition. In response, SpaceX installed hardware upgrades to Super Heavy, revised engine‑start sequencing on the Ship stage, and added software and alarm‑system adjustments to improve motor reliability. In the days leading up to the test, SpaceX continued its high launch cadence. A Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg on 13 July, delivering 27 additional Starlink satellites, and a second Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral the same night, deploying 29 more satellites and marking SpaceX’s 600th reuse of a flight‑proven booster. The Vandenberg mission used booster B1093 on its 15th flight, whose recovery on the droneship *Of Course I Still Love You* recorded the vessel’s 210th landing. Flight 13 incorporates the hardware and software upgrades introduced after Flight 12, including improved boost‑back burn sequencing, refined Raptor relight logic, and load‑sensing heat‑shield tiles. Separately, SpaceX announced the rollout of a new Starlink V5 user terminal in its mobile app.

Timeline

  1. about 16 hours ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    SpaceX prepares Starship Flight 13 as FAA clears previous test

    FAA cleared SpaceX’s Starship Flight 12 investigation, allowing the company to proceed with Flight 13 test slated for July 16, after hardware and software fixes address earlier engine anomalies.

  2. about 21 hours ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 12 sources
    SpaceX ramps up Starlink launches, readies Starship test flight 13 and unveils new V5 user terminal

    SpaceX launched 56 Starlink satellites on two Falcon 9 flights, hit its 600th reusable booster milestone, readied Starship test flight 13 with 20 V3 satellites, and introduced a smaller, lower‑power V5 user‑d­

  3. 3 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 9 sources
    SpaceX readies Starship Flight 13 with first‑generation Starlink V3 satellites

    FAA approves SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 on July 16, using V3 hardware and deploying 20 Starlink V3 satellites, with upgrades to booster control, engine relight and heat‑shield testing.

  4. 12 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    SpaceX conducts full‑engine static fire of Starship upper stage ahead of 13th test flight

    SpaceX performed a minute‑long static fire of all six Starship upper‑stage Raptor engines at Starbase, Texas, advancing the program toward the 13th integrated test flight slated for July‑August 2026.

  5. 25 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    SpaceX readies Starship Flight 13 test, eyes Flight 14 orbital demo

    SpaceX aims for a suborbital Starship Flight 13 soon and plans an orbital Flight 14 demo later; German startup Isar Aerospace cancels another Spectrum rocket launch over fluid‑system issues.

Sources

archynewsy.com · au.pcmag.com · brusselsmorning.com · easternherald.com · forteresse-miremont.fr · freerepublic.com · gazeta-lokalna.pl · ithome.com · kosmonautix.cz · mobtech.interia.pl · newsbytesapp.com · nextbigfuture.com · notiulti.com · numerama.com · sarajevo-x.com · satelliteinternet.com · seucreditodigital.com.br · space.com · tek.sapo.pt · teslarati.com · thesheffieldpress.com · time.news · uk.pcmag.com · vetmed.msstate.edu · world-today-news.com