SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 to launch tomorrow: What to expect
What's the story
SpaceX is gearing up for another attempt to launch its Starship Flight 13. The mission was previously postponed due to a last-minute abort. The liftoff is now scheduled for 4:15am IST on Friday, July 24, with a 90-minute launch window from the company's Starbase facility in Texas, US. This test flight marks a major milestone in the development of Starship, which is expected to carry astronauts to the Moon under NASA's Artemis program and eventually take humans to Mars.
Mission objectives
Key objectives of Starship flight 13
Starship Flight 13 will be the 13th integrated test flight of the Starship-Super Heavy launch system and the second test of the upgraded Version 3 (V3) vehicle.
One of its main goals is to deploy 20 simulated Starlink Version 3 satellites, marking a major milestone for this new-generation Starship.
The mission will also test upgrades to both the Super Heavy booster and upper-stage Starship.
Mission path
What happens after liftoff?
Post stage separation, the Super Heavy booster will perform a controlled descent and splash down in the Gulf of Mexico.
Meanwhile, Starship will follow a suborbital trajectory before splashing down in the Indian Ocean after a flight of just over an hour.
This mission is crucial for SpaceX's long-term plans as NASA has chosen a modified version of Starship as the Human Landing System for future Artemis missions.
Mission delay
Why was the earlier attempt called off?
The launch of Starship Flight 13 was initially set for July 16 but was called off after multiple Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster failed to ignite.
SpaceX's automated safety system aborted the launch, stopping the rocket from leaving its pad.