SpaceX Starship flight launch succeeds in first post-IPO test
SpaceX completed a SpaceX Starship flight launch on Friday, July 24, 2026, lifting Flight 13 from Starbase, Texas—the first test since the company's IPO last month. The Ship soft-splashdowned intact in the Indian Ocean after deploying 20 Starlink V3 satellites, while the Super Heavy booster had a hard splashdown in the Gulf.
Key Takeaways
- Flight 13 lifted off at 6:51 p.m. EDT from Starbase, Texas, as Starship's first test since SpaceX's IPO.
- Ship 40 deployed all 20 Starlink V3 satellites and made a soft Indian Ocean splashdown with intact heat-shield views.
- The Super Heavy booster separated successfully but only a subset of landing engines lit, causing a hard Gulf splashdown.
- Earlier attempts were scrubbed July 16 after an engine abort and delayed July 23 by weather.
- Investors are watching closely because Starship is central to expanding Starlink and future Moon and Mars missions.
According to CNBC, Friday's mission was the 13th Starship test and the second flight of the Starship V3 design. SpaceX employees dubbed it "lucky number 13" on the livestream. For more viral business and celebrity-adjacent breaking coverage, see our Celebrity Breaking News hub.
What happened during the SpaceX Starship flight launch?
The 407-foot megarocket fired its 33 Super Heavy engines and rose from Pad 2 at Starbase. About two minutes in, the booster hot-staged away from the Ship upper stage, completed a flip, and began a return burn toward the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said the booster did not light all 13 engines planned for the landing burn and came in with high velocity. SpaceX later described a hard splashdown after only a subset of engines ignited for the landing burn.
Roughly 18 minutes into the flight, Starship deployed 20 new Starlink V3 satellites—the first production V3 units flown. Six carried cameras that beamed live views. The satellites were meant to burn up about 20 minutes after deployment on the same suborbital path.
Ship 40 then completed a successful single-Raptor relight, survived peak heating on reentry, and achieved what Huot called SpaceX's "softest splashdown" ever in the Indian Ocean west of Australia. SpaceX said the vehicle came to rest intact and delivered critical views of an intact heat shield for the first time. "I'm a little over the moon right now," Huot said.
Why does this Starship test matter after the IPO?
Starship is the largest rocket ever built or flown and is designed to be fully reusable, cutting the cost of lifting heavy cargo. CNBC notes investors are watching these flights because the vehicle is crucial to rapidly expanding Starlink satellite internet.
The new V3 satellites, built in Redmond, Washington, are larger and more powerful, with solar arrays that generate twice the power of earlier generations. SpaceX is also developing Starmind satellites intended as future orbital data centers.
Beyond Starlink, SpaceX aims to use Starship to return U.S. astronauts to the Moon and eventually support crewed Mars flights. The company is preparing for a major NASA test next year. A nearly identical V3 configuration is planned for Artemis 3 docking work with NASA's Orion.
How close is Starship to full reusability?
Progress was clear: stage separation worked, the booster flip succeeded after Flight 12's failed flip, all 20 satellites deployed, and the Ship returned intact. Still, satellite expert Tim Farrar told CNBC SpaceX "remains a long way from achieving rapid reusability of the entire ship," citing Raptor relight problems that could severely damage a launchpad if they happen during a tower landing attempt.
SpaceX stock has fallen in four of the past five weeks, down 43% from its June 16 peak close, underscoring how closely markets track each Starship milestone.