SpaceX is set to launch its Starship megarocket on Flight 13 today, marking the vehicle's second mission of 2026 and its first operational deployment of next-generation Starlink satellites.

What Happened

Starship is scheduled to lift off from SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas during a 90-minute window that opens at 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT). The launch falls on the 57th anniversary of NASA's Apollo 11 moon mission. Flight 13 will be Starship's 13th overall flight and its second orbital test this year, following May's Flight 12 debut of the advanced Version 3 (V3) variant. During that previous mission, Ship successfully deployed 22 payloads via its "PEZ dispenser" slit—20 dummy Starlink satellites and two functional satellites with imaging sensors—and returned to Earth with a splashdown off Western Australia. Super Heavy, however, suffered engine issues during reentry and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico rather than executing a controlled splashdown. For Flight 13, SpaceX plans for Super Heavy to execute launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn and landing burn at an offshore point in the Gulf. Ship will target a similar Indian Ocean splashdown about 65 minutes after liftoff while deploying 20 actual V3 Starlink satellites—next-generation spacecraft that "will greatly expand the network's capacity and user speeds," according to SpaceX's mission description.

Why It Matters

The V3 Starlink deployment marks Starship's transition from purely developmental testing toward operational satellite delivery. Each V3 satellite weighs approximately 4,400 pounds (2,000 kg)—significantly heavier than predecessors—making them impractical for Falcon 9 deployment at scale. SpaceX has outlined plans to operate up to 100,000 V3 Starlinks in low Earth orbit, compared to the current constellation of roughly 10,800 spacecraft. Achieving reliable launch and return with Starship V3 is critical to that vision and to NASA's Artemis program, which depends on Starship V3 for the Artemis III crewed lunar landing planned no earlier than 2027.

The Bottom Line

Flight 13 represents a pivotal test as SpaceX works to refine Super Heavy's reentry performance while beginning operational use of Starship V3. Success would advance both SpaceX's Starlink expansion and NASA's lunar ambitions, while another booster loss would signal continued hardware challenges for the world's largest rocket.