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SPLASHDOWN! SpaceX Starship Flight 13 makes 'softest splashdown' ever (Image credit: SpaceX) Splashdown! SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 Ship has "landed" in the Indian Ocean after a smooth flight, ending with a spectacular water landing as the spacecraft tipped gently over to float on the sea. READ OUR WRAP STORY HERE . "This is just the first time we've put a Starship into the water," SpaceX's Dan Huot said during live commentary. He called it SpaceX's "softest splashdown" ever. "This is a dream scenario for this team that's trying to get this heat shield data."

"I'm a little over the moon right now," Huot said. "Wow. Lucky number 13. Hell of a great day for Starship." That's going to be a wrap for our live commentary of SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 test mission. We'll have a wrap story posted shortly and thanks so much for watching along with us. We'll see you next time for SpaceX's Starship Flight 14. In the meantime, here are all our videos from today's launch. Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

Starship Ship passes peak heating, entry Max Q SpaceX reports its Starship Flight 13 Ship has pushed through the region of peak heating, as well as the phase of maximum dynamic pressure, during its reentry for the return to Earth. Ship 40 will return to Earth for a planned landing and splashdown in the Indian Ocean, west of Australia. A SpaceX recovery team is awaiting the landing, and has deployed camera-toting buys to try and capture views of the landing. Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

What SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 reentry looks like SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 test flight is now well into the reentry phase. This is typically when a space mission would have loss of signal, or LOS, because of the plasma build-up around the spacecraft. SpaceX's Starship is beaming signals back to Earth via Starlink internet satellites, showing stunning live views. (Image credit: SpaceX) Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

Starship upper stage begins reentry Starship's Ship 40 upper stage is now beginning its reentry for its return to Earth, SpaceX says.

Starship ignites single Raptor engine in maneuver test SpaceX reports its Starship upper stage's single-Raptor engine relight was a success. They in-space engine relight will be a critical maneuver for entering and leaving orbit on future Starship flights. Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

Starship deploys all 20 Starlink V3 satellites SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 test flight continues on track, with all 20 Starlink V3 satellites deployed. The last two of the Starlinks used flashlights and cameras to observe Ship as they floated in orbital darkness. Ship is now in a coast phase for the next 27 minutes or so before it will attempt to relight one of its six Raptor engines as part of a maneuvering test. Here's another look at launch, by the way. Liftoff of Starship! pic.twitter.com/RdieYIh6FdJuly 24, 2026 Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

Watch it again: Starship Flight 13 launch If you're just joining us and missed the SpaceX Starship Flight 13 launch. Here's a quick replay. You can see the mission live in the YouTube feed above as the Fligth 13 Ship deploys Starlink V3 satellites into space. Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

Starship Flight 13 Ship deploys Starlink V3 satellites SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 Ship is now tackling its next major test in today's flight: The release of 20 new Starlink Version 3 satellites. They are the first Starlink V3 satellites to fly in space. Six of the Starlink V3s carry cameras to beam live views of Starship back to Earth. Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

Starship Flight 13 Booster appears to crash in Gulf during landing SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 Booster did not appear to light all 13 engines as planned for its landing burn in the Gulf of Mexico and seems to have slammed into the Gulf harder than planned. "Just looking at the booster real quick, it didn't look like we lit all 13 engines that we were planning for that initial land and burn," SpaceX Dan Huot. "We were targeting a softer splash on it, and as you saw, it came in with quite a bit of velocity." Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

Starship Flight 13 Stage Separation, Booster backburn complete STAGE SEPARATION: SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 Super Heavy booster successfully separated in a hot-staging event from its Ship upper stage, aced a flip around and 5-engine burn to begin its trip back to Earth. The Booster on Flight 12 failed its flip, so this was a big milestone for Flight 13.

The Ship upper stage has all six engines firing and on its way to space. Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

LIFTOFF! SpaceX launches Starship Flight 13 into space With a mighty roar, SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 megarocket fired up its 33 first-stage Booster engines to begin the trip to space. The towering 407-foot rocket will fly a suborbital trajectory, with neither vehicle to be recovered. Today's flight should last just over 1 hour. Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

Starship Flight 13 Fueled for launch We're now at T-3 minutes and counting. Starship and its Super Heavy booster should be fueled for launch. Fueling began 35 minutes before liftoff. Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

T-5 minutes to launch: SpaceXer turned NASA astronaut sees Starbase from space Anil Menon, a former SpaceX engineer who is now a NASA astronaut, has shared a view of SpaceX's Starbase, Texas launch site for Starship Flight 13 from his perch on the International Space Station. He launched to the ISS last week. His wife Anna Menon, is also a NASA astronaut and flew on the Polaris Dawn private spaceflight as a SpaceX astronaut. "Our view of Starbase from space! Here's to a successful launch," Anil Menon wrote on X . "Send it!" Our view of Starbase from space! Here's to a successful launch. Send it! pic.twitter.com/Yk0i9exLmZJuly 24, 2026

T-10 Minutes and counting to Starship Flight 13 launch SpaceX is now less than 10 minutes from Starship Flight 13's launch at 6:51 p.m. ET. Fueling began 35 minutes before liftoff and will continue until three minutes before launch. "Not tracking any issues for launch today," SpaceX's Dan Huot says. Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

Fueling underway for SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Fueling is well underway for SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 test flight. SpaceX flight controllers are adding super cold liquid oxygen on the Ship and Booster first, then will load liquid methane to the Booster and Ship to complete the process. Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

NEW LAUNCH TIME: Starship Flight 13 liftoff @ 6:51 pm ET SpaceX has pushed a bit into its 90-minute launch window for Starship Flight 13. Liftoff is now set for 6:51 p.m. EDT (2251 GMT), a 6-minute slip. Starbase is launching out of Starbase, Texas, so local time at launch will be 5:51 p.m. CDT. ''Things are looking really good at the moment," SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said. "We slipped a little bit into our window as we waited for some last couple of things to settle out," Huot added. "We are targeting a liftoff at 5:51 p.m. Central Time. Weather today, you can see we've got blue skies." Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 livestream underway It's official! SpaceX live stream is underway for today's Starship Flight 13 test flight. Today's test flight is scheduled to launch at 6:45 p.m. EDT, though it will be 5:45 p.m. local time at Starship's Starbase, Texas launch site. SpaceX has a 90-minute window to launch the mission, so it could occur anytime between 6:45 p.m. EDT and 8:15 p.m. EDT. Tune in now! Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

SpaceX 'on track' for Starship Flight 13 test launch On track for Starship’s 13th flight test later today – the 90-minute launch window opens at 5:45 p.m. CT. Live coverage starts ~30 minutes before launch https://t.co/yZzlYg3nnQJuly 24, 2026 SpaceX is just over 1 hour away from the planned launch of its Starship Flight 13 test mission and all systems appear to be go. "On track for Starship’s 13th flight test later today – the 90-minute launch window opens at 5:45 p.m. CT. Live coverage starts ~30 minutes before launch," SpaceX wrote in an X post about an hour ago. You'll be able to watch the launch here at about 6:15 p.m. EDT (2215 GMT), as well as on SpaceX's X account and the company's dedicated Starship Flight 13 mission page. Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

It's launch day (again) for SpaceX Starship Flight 13 (Image credit: SpaceX) SpaceX says it's ready once more to try and launch its next Starship test flight from Starbase, Texas, with liftoff on track for 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT) today, July 24. This will be Starship's 13th test flight , and while we're not superstitious here (neither is SpaceX as they're also prepping their Crew-13 astronaut launch for NASA ) the mission has had a run of bad luck. On July 16, when SpaceX first attempted to launch the flight, the megarocket aborted the liftoff when several engines failed to ignite. SpaceX ultimately replaced at least two of Super Heavy booster's Raptor engines in a bid to try again on July 23. But yesterday's launch try was called off before it began because if bad weather over the South Texas launch site. SpaceX wants clear skies and clear visibility to be able to see Starship's launch and (hopefully) the Super Heavy booster's return to Earth for a controlled landing and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. And so, here we are, Space Fans. Waiting once more for SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 launch. It should be sight to behold ( Starship is the world's largest and most powerful rocket ). SpaceX will need to greatly ramp up its flight rate in order not only to put Starship in orbit, but also return it to Earth for a land landing, reuse and in-orbit refueling to make it ready to land Artemis IV astronauts on the moon by 2028. Here's fun space history note: Starship Flight 13's original July 16 launch date was on the 57th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch for NASA's first-ever crewed moon landing mission. Today's launch date, July 24, is the 57th anniversary of the Apollo 11 crew's return to Earth in 1969. Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

STARSHIP DELAY! Bad weather pushes SpaceX Flight 13 launch to July 24 A towering SpaceX Starship rocket stands ready for Flight 13 launch amid a stunning twilight sky. (Image credit: SpaceX) SpaceX just pushed the planned launch of its Starship Flight 13 test flight back at least 24 hours, to no earlier than Friday, July 24, due to weather concerns. The Starship test flight is now scheduled to launch Friday at 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT), with a livestream beginning at about 6:12 p.m. EDT (2212 GMT). "Now targeting Friday, July 24 for Starship’s thirteenth flight test, due to weather," SpaceX wrote in an update on social media . "A key objective for the flight test is to get clear imagery from the ground of Starship’s heatshield as it flies at a higher dynamic pressure during ascent, which won't be possible with today's weather conditions. Visibility is forecast to be ideal for a Friday attempt." You'll be able to watch the launch live on this page at launch time. Now targeting Friday, July 24 for Starship’s thirteenth flight test, due to weather.A key objective for the flight test is to get clear imagery from the ground of Starship’s heatshield as it flies at a higher dynamic pressure during ascent, which won't be possible with today's… pic.twitter.com/O4qyJaXjVsJuly 23, 2026 Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

SpaceX's towering Starship ready for Flight 13 test launch (Image credit: SpaceX) Hey, Space Fans! It's launch day once again for SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 test flight , with liftoff currently set for 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT). Just like last week, we'll have a livestream from SpaceX live on this page starting at about 6:12 p.m. EDT (2212 GMT). SpaceX has a 90-minute window for today's launch once more. You can see our full preview of SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 for details on what to expect. SpaceX attempted to launch Starship Flight 13 on July 16 , but the rocket aborted its launch at the last second when several of its 33 first stage Raptor engines did not ignite as planned. SpaceX stood down for a week to replace a few suspect engines and here we are again. Today's Starship test flight will last just over an hour, but will not enter orbit. Instead, Starship and Super Heavy will follow similar flight profiles of the most recent SpaceX test flights, with the Super Heavy first stage making a controlled landing and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico while the Ship upper stage makes a similar water landing in the Indian Ocean, west of Australia. One new thing to watch for on this flight are SpaceX's Starlink Version 3, or Starlink V3, satellites. This mission is carrying 20 of the Starlink V3 internet satellites and will deploy them from its PEZ dispenser-like payload bay door. Six of the satellites carry high-resolution cameras to beam live views of Starship's heat shield and exterior back to Earth. All 20 carry solar arrays and laser links to try and connect with the Starlink network, but will deorbit on the same flight path as Starship, SpaceX has said . So be sure to join us this evening for Starship Flight 13. In the meantime, here's some stunning sunset photos from last night as shared by SpaceX: pic.twitter.com/EV1PFw06w1July 23, 2026 Tariq Malik Social Links Navigation Editor-in-Chief

SpaceX completes Super Heavy testing, targets July 23 for Starship Flight 13 SpaceX conducts tests with the Super Heavy booster that will conduct Starship Flight 13 at its Starbase site in South Texas on July 22, 2026. Liftoff is targeted for July 23. (Image credit: SpaceX) Starship Flight 13 is still on for tomorrow (July 23), weather permitting. At its Starbase site today (July 22), SpaceX wrapped up testing with the Super Heavy first stage that will conduct Flight 13. And things went well, according to the company. "Additional preflight testing on Super Heavy complete. Now starting preparations to launch Starship as soon as tomorrow, Thursday, July 23. Weather is currently a significant watch item for launch," SpaceX said today in a post on X , the social media platform owned by company founder and CEO Elon Musk . Liftoff is scheduled during a 90-minute window tomorrow that opens at 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT). You can watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX. SpaceX first tried to launch Starship Flight 13 last Thursday (July 16), but the vehicle experienced an abort just after attempting to ignite Super Heavy's 33 Raptor engines. SpaceX swapped out two of those Raptors, then conducted today's "additional testing" to make sure everything is good to go. Mike Wall Social Links Navigation Spaceflight & Tech Editor

SpaceX targets Starship launch on July 23 Starship stands at SpaceX's Pad 2 at its Starbase facility in Texas. (Image credit: SpaceX) After their assessment over the weekend, destacking Ship and Super Heavy vehicles, rolling them back to the hangar, and swapping out some of Super Heavy's Raptor 3 engines, SpaceX is not targeting later this week for the Flight 13 launch of its massive Starship rocket. SpaceX Starship Flight-13's next launch attempt is scheduled for Thursday, July 23, according to a company social media post . Now targeting to launch Starship’s thirteenth flight test as early as Thursday, July 23 → https://t.co/Rp7VwBzpWx pic.twitter.com/Y0YNzfc5zkJuly 19, 2026

SpaceX targeting July 20 for Starship Flight 13 test launch We have a new (tentative) launch date: After a last-second abort scuttled SpaceX's first attempt to launch Starship Flight 13 yesterday (July 17), the company is now targeting no earlier than Monday (July 20) for the liftoff. The 90-minute launch window opens at 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT; 5:45 p.m. local time). You can watch the launch here at Space.com when the time comes and learn about the mission in our Flight 13 preview. Yesterday's abort was triggered when several of the 33 Raptor engines on Starship's first-stage booster failed to ignite as planned, according to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk . "To be confident of a good flight, 2 Raptors will be removed & replaced," Musk said via X , the social media platform he owns, shortly after yesterday's abort. July 20 is a very meaningful date in spaceflight history, by the way. Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, and NASA's robotic Viking 1 lander touched down on Mars exactly seven years later.

The 33 Raptor 3 engines on Starship's Super Heavy booster seen from beneath the Starbase pad 2 launch stand on July 16, 2026. (Image credit: SpaceX) Following the last-second scrub of last night's Starship Flight 13 launch, SpaceX stood down from Thursday's launch attempt. It was not immediately clear what caused the automated abort, but SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted to social media shortly after the launch was called off, saying a failure of a few of Straship's Raptor 3 engines failed to light at ignition. "Next launch attempt hopefully in a few days," Musk said in a post. He clarified later yesterday evening, saying, "To be confident of a good flight, 2 Raptors will be removed & replaced. Most probable launch timing is early next week." SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 test launch aborts at last second (video) To be confident of a good flight, 2 Raptors will be removed & replaced. Most probable launch timing is early next week.July 17, 2026

SCRUB Starship's onboard systems initiated and automated aboard at T-0. (Image credit: SpaceX) SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 is scrubbed for the day. At T-0, the rocket's automated flight computer initiated a hold and abort call. It isn't immediately clear what caused the abort, but its execution so far into the countdown means a scrub for the day. "We did trigger a hold on the booster that aborted our liftoff as we were starting to light those Raptor engines," SpaceX livestream host Dan Huot said. "At this point," Huot said as the coverage ended, "they're going to get into [propellant] offload. We're gonna get all the methane, all the oxygen off the vehicle, and then we'll figure out next steps." A new launch date for Starship Flight 13 has not been determined.

T-1 minute to launch! (Image credit: SpaceX) SpaceX has entered the terminal count for Starship! Just one minute to go until Starship Flight 13 liftoff! Let's go!

SpaceX not tracking any issues SpaceX is fueling Starship for Flight 13 right now, and is not tracking any issues as the opening of the launch window approaches. The day began with a 90% probability of favorable launch conditions, according the SpaceX livestream host Dan Huot, who is voicing confidence in the success of today's mission. According to SpaceX commentators, success on today's mission will open the door for "near future orbital flights" and the first-ever attempt to catch Starship's Ship upper stage using the launch tower at Starbase's pad 2. Barring any delays in fueling or weather constraints, Starship is scheduled to lift off at 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT). The launch window extends for 90 minutes.

Super Heavy booster propellant load had begun (Image credit: SpaceX) SpaceX has begun loading cryogenic fuel into the Super Heavy booster at Starbase's pad 2. Starship uses a mixture of liquid methane and liquix oxygen, together known as "methalox," to power both Super Heavy and Ship stages of Starship. Propellant load has begunJuly 16, 2026

SpaceX Straship Flight 13 launch stream is live Scrub! SpaceX aborts Starship megarocket launch at T-0 - YouTube Watch On Live coverage has begun for SpaceX's Starship Flight 13! You can watch the action and follow along with live updates here, and on the Space.com homepage. SpaceX's direct stream is available on the company's website . Liftoff is currently set for 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT), with a launch window that extends to 8:15 p.m. EDT (0015 GMT, July 17).

SpaceX stacks Starship overnight (video) Image credit: SpaceX Image credit: SpaceX SpaceX has released photos and video of last night's Starship stacking. Super Heavy 20 was rolled back to pad 2 yesterday (July 15), with Ship 40 following its trail after sunset. Both recently completed static test fires of the Raptor 3 engines, followed by final prelaunch checkouts back at their respective hangars. Now that both have been transported to the launch pad and stacked, SpaceX is preparing the rocket and ground infrastructure for liftoff. The Flight 13 launch window opens at 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT), and will last for up to 90 minutes. Stacking Starship for Flight 13 pic.twitter.com/L4XN6gqgRtJuly 16, 2026 Josh Dinner Social Links Navigation Staff Writer, Spaceflight

SpaceX readying Starship to launch in just over 24 hours (Image credit: Background: SpaceX, clock added in Canva Pro) Starship's next big test launch is just a day away. SpaceX has transported Booster 20, the Super Heavy first stage for the massive launch vehicle, back to pad 2 at the company's Starbase facility in Texas. If all goes according to plan, that will be its last relocation before launch, currently scheduled for tomorrow (July 15) during a 90-minute launch window beginning at 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT). Ship 40, Starship's upper stage for Flight 13, will be trasnported to the pad today, and stacked on Super Heavy for a full wet dress rehearsal to confirm the vehicle's readiness ahead of tomorrow's launch attempt. What time is SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 launch on July 16? (Full mission timeline) Josh Dinner Social Links Navigation Staff Writer, Spaceflight