SpaceX will debut its long-promised Starlink Version 3 satellites during a suborbital test flight of its Starship rocket on Thursday evening, marking the first mission for the Starship program since the company went public.
What Happened
The Starship Flight 13 mission will lift off from Pad 2 at SpaceX's Starbase facilities in southern Texas during a 90-minute window that opens at 5:45 p.m. CDT (6:45 p.m. EDT / 2245 UTC). The company is using Booster 20 and Ship 40 upper stage—both flying for the first time—with no recovery attempts planned for either stage. SpaceX will deploy 20 production Starlink V3 satellites during this flight. According to the company, these satellites "will extend solar arrays and antennas and will attempt to connect with the larger Starlink constellation via high-capacity lasers." The satellites are expected to demise upon reentry approximately 20 minutes after deployment. Additional mission objectives include a relight of a Raptor engine on the upper stage during the coast phase and a controlled landing of the booster in the Gulf of Mexico—both objectives that were not accomplished during Flight 12 in May.
Why It Matters
This flight follows issues encountered during Flight 12, where the startup sequence of engines "caused the directional flip of the booster to be off by approximately 90 degrees" and problems with five out of 33 sea-level engines prevented a nominal boostback burn. SpaceX has implemented hardware modifications including updates to engine alarms and aborts to improve re-light reliability. The debut of Starlink V3 satellites on this mission represents an important step in the constellation's evolution, while progress toward rapid reuse of the upper stage continues with new heat shield attachment testing. Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president and COO, told CNBC that depending on how Flight 13 performs, the company may attempt an orbital launch as soon as Flight 14. The outcome is also critical for NASA, which is relying on a modified Starship Version 3 with a docking adaptor for the Artemis 3 mission next year.
The Bottom Line
Flight 13 marks SpaceX's second launch of its third-generation Starship-Super Heavy vehicle and the program's first mission since becoming publicly traded. With Starlink V3 satellites set to deploy on a suborbital trajectory, successful completion of this flight will provide data for both constellation development and the path toward orbital Starship operations.