SpaceX launched its 13th Starship flight test on July 23, 2026, marking the first time the massive rocket has carried the company's next-generation V3 Starlink satellites into space.
The launch came after a couple of delays caused by unfavorable weather conditions. According to Engadget, the V3 satellites represent a major jump in capacity over the previous V2 model. They can support up to 1 terabit per second of downlink, which is 10 times more than what V2 satellites can handle, and 160 gigabits per second of uplink, a 22-times increase over V2.
Despite those numbers, Starlink customers will not notice any improvements from this batch of satellites. The 20 satellites deployed during this flight are strictly for testing purposes. After deployment, the satellites extended their solar arrays and antennas to check whether they can connect with the existing Starlink constellation using high-capacity lasers. They remained in suborbital space at the same altitude and trajectory as Starship itself.
The satellites were expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up just 20 minutes after deployment.
SpaceX also used the flight to gather data on Starship's heat shield. Two of the 20 Starlink satellites were modified with cameras specifically designed to scan the heat shield and transmit images back to the ground for analysis. That work is part of SpaceX's broader effort to certify the vehicle for more frequent flights.
This was the second launch for SpaceX's V3 Starship model, which first flew during the rocket's 12th flight test in May. The goals for the 13th flight were largely the same as the 12th. SpaceX said the flights are designed to collect data so the company can "continue iteration towards a fully and rapidly reusable design."
Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built and is central to NASA's Artemis program, which plans to use a modified version of the vehicle to land astronauts on the Moon. SpaceX is also developing Starship for missions to Mars.
