SpaceX Targets Starship Return to Form on Flight 13

Company completed an FAA-required mishap investigation and made several changes to the rocket after an anomaly in May.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

SpaceX is gearing up for the 13th test flight of Starship and its second in the rocket’s Version 3 (V3) configuration. [Credit: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX is preparing for Starship Flight 13, which incorporates extensive hardware and software modifications to address anomalies from the previous Flight 12, particularly concerning the Super Heavy booster's flip maneuver and engine relight failures.
Key objectives for Flight 13 include demonstrating successful Super Heavy recovery, relighting a Starship engine in space, rigorous testing of the heat shield, and deploying real Starlink satellites equipped with cameras to monitor the heat shield.
This mission is crucial for the development of Starship V3, which is designed for commercial orbital deployments, full reusability, in-orbit refueling capabilities, and its role as NASA's Human Landing System for future lunar missions, with success vital for meeting 2026 and 2028 timelines.

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SpaceX announced it made several hardware and software modifications to its massive Starship rocket as it prepares for what could be the vehicle’s most critical test flight yet.

The launch provider said over the weekend it is targeting a 90-minute launch window that opens at 6:45 p.m. EDT on Thursday for Starship Flight 13, which is a precursor to more ambitious missions the company has planned for 2026. SpaceX said the mission will have “similar objectives” to Flight 12 in May, which was the first test of Starship’s larger, more powerful Version 3 (V3) configuration.