SpaceX Starship Completes 13th Test Flight, Deploys Starlink V3

SpaceX successfully launched its Starship on its 13th integrated test flight on July 24, 2026, from Starbase in Texas, after two delays. The mission deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites—the first time functional payloads were carried—and ended with a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Source: Lavanguardia, Milenio

The Flight

The Super Heavy booster separated cleanly, but its landing burn was incomplete, leading to a 'more abrupt' splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, though within expected parameters. Source: Milenio The Ship 40 upper stage performed a smooth reentry and soft water landing, with SpaceX executive Dan Huot calling it 'the softest splashdown we have achieved.' Source: Excelsiormx

Starlink V3 and Technical Milestones

• The 20 Starlink V3 satellites (each ~2000 kg and capable of 1 Tbps downlink) were deployed on a suborbital trajectory and reentered after about 20 minutes, as planned. Six carried cameras to inspect the heatshield. Source: Infobae, El Español
• A key milestone was the successful in-space relight of a Raptor engine, crucial for future orbital maneuvers. Source: Milenio
• SpaceX painted some heatshield tiles white to simulate damage and test thermal performance under high dynamic pressure during ascent. Source: El Español

Market and Context

This was the first test flight after SpaceX's record-breaking $86 billion IPO in June. The earlier delays caused a ~3% stock drop and erased $1 trillion in market cap from the peak, highlighting investor sensitivity to development risks. Source: La República, Excelsiormx The flight's success restored confidence. NASA, which relies on Starship for Artemis lunar landings, had expressed concerns over delays. Source: El Nacional