SpaceX aims for July 16 launch of Starship Flight 13 after booster rollback
SpaceX plans to launch the Starship Flight 13 test no earlier than July 16, after moving the Super Heavy booster back to its hangar for final checks.
SpaceX has set a launch window opening at 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT) on Thursday, July 16, for the Starship Flight 13 test mission from Starbase, Texas. The flight will be the second launch of the vehicle’s Version 3 configuration and will follow a profile similar to the previous test.
After completing a static fire test on July 10, the company lowered the Super Heavy booster, designated Booster 20, from the launch stand and returned it to the hangar. The booster and the upper stage, Ship 40, are expected to be moved back to pad 2 within the next day, where at least one more engine test is planned before liftoff.
The mission will carry the first batch of upgraded Starlink Version 3 satellites. A live webcast will begin about 30 minutes before launch on SpaceX’s mission page and its X account.
"We are targeting a no-earlier-than July 16 launch window for Flight 13," the company said in a post on X.
The launch window spans 90 minutes, giving the team flexibility to proceed once conditions are verified.