July 20, 2026 10:45 pm

Flight 13

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Starship

SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA
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July 20, 2026 10:45 pm

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2026-07-17 21:06:33

13th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. Second flight of Starship V3. For the first time, Starship will carry 20 V3 Starlink satellites to space, which will extend solar arrays and antennas and will attempt to connect with ground stations in South Africa and the larger Starlink constellation via high-capacity lasers. 6 of the satellites have been modified with a suite of cameras to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators to continue testing methods of analyzing Starship’s heat shield readiness for return to launch site on future missions. Several tiles on Starship have been painted white to simulate missing tiles and serve as imaging targets in the test.
Launch Overview
Window Open 22:45 UTC
Window Close 00:15 UTC
Lift Off Jul 20, 2026 · 22:45 UTC
Launch Facility SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA
Launch Pad Orbital Launch Pad 2
Target Orbit Suborbital
Payload Overview
Customer SpaceX
Payload Flight 13
Rocket Starship
Destination Suborbital
Recovery Overview
Landing Location See Mission Notes
Landing Type RTLS / Droneship
13th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. Second flight of Starship V3. For the first time, Starship will carry 20 V3 Starlink satellites to space, which will extend solar arrays and antennas and will attempt to connect with ground stations in South Africa and the larger Starlink constellation via high-capacity lasers. 6 of the satellites have been modified with a suite of cameras to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators to continue testing methods of analyzing Starship’s heat shield readiness for return to launch site on future missions. Several tiles on Starship have been painted white to simulate missing tiles and serve as imaging targets in the test.

Height

LEO Payload

Total Launches

Status

SpaceX
Orbital Launch Pad 2
Launch Overview
Window Open 22:45 UTC
Window Close 00:15 UTC
Lift Off Jul 20, 2026 · 22:45 UTC
Launch Facility SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA
Launch Pad Orbital Launch Pad 2
Target Orbit Suborbital
Payload Overview
Customer SpaceX
Payload Flight 13
Rocket Starship
Destination Suborbital
Recovery Overview
Landing Location See Mission Notes
Landing Type RTLS / Droneship

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