SpaceX schedules Starship Flight 13 launch for July 23 after successful Super Heavy tests
SpaceX said additional pre-flight testing of the Super Heavy booster is complete and the Starship Flight 13 mission is slated for a 90-minute launch window beginning at 6:45 p.m. EDT on July 23, weather permitting.
SpaceX announced that after completing additional pre-flight checks on the Super Heavy first stage, the company is preparing for the Starship Flight 13 launch on Thursday, July 23. The launch window opens at 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT) and will remain open for 90 minutes, subject to weather conditions.
The company posted on X that “Additional preflight testing on Super Heavy complete. Now starting preparations to launch Starship as soon as tomorrow, Thursday, July 23. Weather is currently a significant watch item for launch.”
The mission follows a previous abort on July 16 when several of the booster’s 33 Raptor engines failed to ignite. SpaceX replaced two of the Raptor 3 engines and conducted further testing on July 22, including a fueling test and a possible hot-fire trial.
“To be confident of a good flight, 2 Raptors will be removed & replaced,” Elon Musk wrote on X after the earlier abort.
Booster 20 and upper stage Ship 40 have been stacked on pad 2 at the Starbase facility in Texas, and the vehicle is undergoing final propellant loading. Live coverage of the countdown and launch will be streamed by SpaceX and partner channels.
If the launch proceeds as planned, the flight will carry the first batch of upgraded Starlink V3 satellites and will serve as a test for future orbital missions.