Starship Flight 13 Reaches Key Milestones but Booster Lands Hard
Monday, 2026/07/27231 words3 minutes2270 reads
SpaceX launched the 13th test flight of its Starship system on July 24, 2026, from Starbase in south Texas, achieving significant upper-stage milestones despite a hard booster landing. The 407-foot vehicle, the world's most powerful rocket, lifted off successfully after a previous last-second abort that had required the replacement of six engines. All 33 first-stage engines fired at liftoff.
The Super Heavy booster, however, failed to execute a controlled descent. Insufficient engines restarted for the landing burn, causing it to impact the Gulf of Mexico hard. Neither the booster nor the spacecraft were intended for recovery on this demonstration, underscoring the experimental nature of the flight.
The upper-stage Starship excelled in its objectives. It deployed 20 third-generation Starlink satellites individually at approximately 200 kilometers altitude on a deliberate suborbital trajectory. Six satellites carried inspection cameras to evaluate the heat shield, which also featured sensors and deliberately painted white tiles to simulate missing thermal protection. The mission further demonstrated a Raptor engine restart in space—a critical capability for future operations. Approximately one hour after launch, Starship executed a controlled, upright splashdown in the Indian Ocean and remained afloat, marking what the Associated Press called the best re-entry to date.
NASA is closely monitoring Starship's development, as a variant is designated to serve as the lunar lander for the Artemis programme. However, this suborbital test does not indicate readiness for crewed lunar missions.
