SpaceX Launches Starship Flight 13, Deploys First Starlink V3 Satellites

SpaceX sent its towering Starship rocket skyward again on Friday evening from Starbase, Texas — the vehicle's 13th test flight, and the first since the company's record-setting stock market debut last month. This time the mission carried real cargo: 20 of SpaceX's new Starlink V3 satellites, deployed roughly 18 minutes after liftoff.

A milestone flight

About two minutes into the ascent, the massive Super Heavy booster separated from the Starship upper stage and executed a controlled splashdown in the Gulf. The upper stage continued to orbit, where it released its batch of Starlink V3 spacecraft — the first opportunity for engineers to see how the upgraded satellites behave in space. For a program defined by rapid, iterative testing, putting operational payloads on board marks a clear shift from "does it fly?" to "what can it carry?"

Why Starlink V3 matters

The V3 satellites are far larger and more capable than the current generation, and they are designed specifically to launch on Starship rather than the Falcon 9. Each one is expected to deliver dramatically more bandwidth, which is why Starship's success is so tightly linked to the future of the Starlink network. You can watch the existing constellation move in real time on our live Starlink tracker, or check when the next Starlink train passes over your location.

What comes next

Each Starship flight is a data-gathering exercise. Recovering and eventually reflying both stages — the way Falcon 9 boosters already return and relaunch — is the key to the low launch costs SpaceX is chasing. Deploying satellites on a test flight brings that goal closer, and sets the stage for the higher launch cadence the company needs to fill out the V3 constellation.

Story Summary

SpaceX launched Starship for the 13th time and, for the first time, deployed operational payloads — 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites — while landing the Super Heavy booster in the Gulf. It is the clearest sign yet that Starship is moving from pure flight testing toward routine satellite delivery, which is essential to expanding the Starlink internet network.