Thirteenth test flight will carry Starlink satellites as Elon Musk’s company pushes toward routine orbital missions
SpaceX (SPCX) is preparing for another milestone in its Starship development program, targeting Thursday, July 23, for the rocket’s 13th test flight following a last-second launch abort earlier this month. CEO Elon Musk confirmed the revised schedule after initially referencing a Friday launch, bringing his comments in line with the company’s official announcement.
The upcoming mission carries added significance after Starship’s previous launch attempt on July 16 was halted just seconds before liftoff due to an engine-related issue. The aborted test reportedly wiped approximately $100 billion from SpaceX’s estimated market value, underscoring the importance investors place on the company’s ambitious next-generation rocket program.
To address the problem, SpaceX said it has modified Starship’s propulsion system, aiming to improve reliability before the next launch. While delays are common in large-scale aerospace development, the company continues to move quickly through testing as it works toward making Starship a fully reusable launch vehicle capable of supporting missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The 13th flight test will also demonstrate new operational capabilities. Starship is expected to deploy 20 Starlink satellites, showcasing its satellite deployment system and the Starlink constellation’s laser communication technology. However, these satellites are not intended to remain in orbit. Instead, they will follow Starship’s planned suborbital trajectory before burning up in Earth’s atmosphere after deployment.
Looking ahead, SpaceX plans to begin placing Starlink satellites into orbit using Starship before the end of the year, with routine commercial launches expected to follow. If successful, Thursday’s mission would mark another important step toward transforming Starship from an experimental prototype into the backbone of SpaceX’s future launch operations, dramatically expanding payload capacity while reducing the cost of access to space.
