Starship flight test 13
Rocket flight test
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Starship flight test 13 will be the thirteenth flight test of a SpaceX Starship launch vehicle, using Booster 20 and Ship 40.[4]
| Mission type | Flight test |
|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Starship Ship 40 |
| Spacecraft type | Starship (Block 3) |
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | NET July 16, 2026 at 5:45pm CT (22:45 UTC)[1] |
| Rocket | Super Heavy (Block 3, B20) |
| Launch site | Starbase, OLP-2 |
| End of mission | |
| Landing site |
|
| Payload | |
| 20 x Starlink V3 | |
| Mass | ~34,100 kg (75,200 lb)[2][3] |
Background
Federal clearance for flight
A report on the mishap investigation after Starship flight test 12 was required for clearance to fly again.[5] The Federal Aviation Administration closed its investigation on July 13, clearing the way for more Starship launches.[6]
Vehicle testing ahead of launch
Booster 20
B20, following completion of its assembly, was rolled out to Massey's for cryogenic testing on June 5, 2026, where it completed a cryogenic test on June 6.[7] On July 10, it conducted a thirty three engine static fire, which lasted for the intended duration, following a rollout to the launch site the day before.[8]
Ship 40
S40's stacking completed on March 2, 2026,[9] with cryogenic testing at Massey's in early May.[10] Following engine installation, the vehicle returned to Massey's on June 23, where it underwent what was either an aborted static fire or an ignitor test on June 24, and a single engine static fire on June 25.[11] It then returned to the production site the next day.[11] It would later return to Massey's for a six engine static fire, which ocurred on July 1.[12]
Mission profile
The mission profile for flight test 13, scheduled for 22:45 UTC July 16, 2026[13], will have a similar mission profile to the previous flight test, with Starship being placed on a suborbital trajectory, slightly short of reaching orbit,[14] and the booster splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico.[15] The ship will carry 20 Starlink satellites, with six featuring cameras for inspection of S40 while in space, similar to the rendezvous pitch maneuver (RPM) executed by the Space Shuttle. Due to the suborbital nature of the flight, the satellites will reenter the atmosphere around 20 minutes after deployment.[3] Like on prior flight tests, the ship will attempt to relight one of its Raptor engines in space and maneuver to a predetermined splashdown location in the Indian Ocean for a landing flip and splashdown.[3]
Flight timeline
| Time | Event | July 16, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| −00:50:00 | SpaceX flight director conducts poll and verifies go for propellant load | Planned |
| −00:37:30 | Ship LOX (liquid oxygen) load underway | Planned |
| −00:37:00 | Booster LOX load underway | Planned |
| −00:35:25 | Booster fuel (liquid methane) load underway | Planned |
| −00:34:48 | Ship fuel load underway | Planned |
| −00:21:30 | Raptor begins engine chill on booster and ship | Planned |
| −00:02:50 | Booster propellant load complete | Planned |
| −00:02:10 | Ship propellant load complete | Planned |
| −00:00:30 | SpaceX flight director verifies go for launch | Planned |
| −00:00:17 | Flame diverter activation | Planned |
| −00:00:03 | Raptor ignition sequence begins | Planned |
| +00:00:00 | Liftoff | Planned |
| +00:00:58 | Max Q (moment of peak aerodynamic stress on the rocket) | Planned |
| +00:02:18 | Super Heavy MECO (most engines cut off) | Planned |
| +00:02:21 | Hot-staging (Starship Raptor ignition and stage separation) | Planned |
| +00:02:25 | Super Heavy boostback burn start | Planned |
| +00:03:03 | Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown | Planned |
| +00:06:27 | Super Heavy landing burn start | Planned |
| +00:06:53 | Super Heavy landing burn shutdown | Planned |
| +00:08:05 | Starship engine cutoff (SECO) | Planned |
| +00:16:40 | Payload deploy demo start | Planned |
| +00:27:39 | Payload deploy demo complete | Planned |
| +00:38:58 | Raptor in-space relight demo | Planned |
| +00:47:30 | Starship entry | Planned |
| +01:02:23 | Starship is transonic | Planned |
| +01:03:01 | Starship is subsonic | Planned |
| +01:05:01 | Landing burn start | Planned |
| +01:05:03 | Landing flip | Planned |
| +01:05:12 | Landing burn 3 to 2 engines | Planned |
| +01:05:19 | Landing burn 2 to 1 engine | Planned |
| +01:05:21 | Splashdown | Planned |
| Source: SpaceX[3] | ||