SpaceX completed the thirteenth Starship test flight on Friday, July 24, marking two milestones: the first intact splashdown of the spacecraft in the Indian Ocean and the inaugural deployment of 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, which will expand satellite internet coverage in rural areas of Mexico.
The flight lifted off at 17:51 local time from Starbase, Texas, on the second mission of the Starship Version 3 design, a 124-meter rocket powered by 33 Raptor engines on its Super Heavy booster. The mission also reignited one of its engines in space for 14 seconds, a capability essential for future orbital missions. For Mexico, the development has direct implications: the Starlink network already operates in rural communities across the country where fiber optic and cellular coverage do not reach, and the V3 satellites offer greater speed and simultaneous connection capacity, according to Space.com.
Starship splashed down smoothly west of Australia after one hour and five minutes of flight and continued transmitting telemetry from the water, something no previous version had achieved, as reported by Ars Technica. The 20 Starlink V3 satellites, larger and with greater transmission capacity than previous models, were the first payload ever deployed by Starship. Elon Musk announced that, if the data review reveals no anomalies, Flight 14 will attempt to catch the spacecraft with the mechanical arms of the launch tower, a maneuver that already works with the Super Heavy booster but has never been attempted with the upper stage. The booster from this mission experienced a rough splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico due to a partial engine ignition failure during descent.
SpaceX projects Starship to be the vehicle that carries cargo and crew to the Moon and Mars. In the near term, each successful flight brings the Starlink V3 constellation closer to denser coverage, with tangible benefits for Mexican users who depend on satellite internet in areas without terrestrial infrastructure.
This article was written with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.