SpaceX is targeting Thursday for the next launch attempt of its massive Starship from Starbase, Texas, after the first attempt ended in a rare post-ignition abort.
SpaceX replaced multiple Raptor engines on Starship’s Super-Heavy booster after some failed to ignite and now is eying a launch time as early as 6:45 p.m. ET July 23 for the anticipated 13th test flight. There will be a 90-minute period in which the launch can occur.
While SpaceX confirmed it is targeting Thursday, the company noted that weather is a “significant watch item for launch.”
It was during the July 16 launch attempt that the giant rocket lit its engines and then experienced a quick shutdown just as a liftoff from the Texas launch pad was imminent.
The SpaceX webcast showed that four of the Super Heavy booster’s engines failed to ignite at T-0. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on X that two of the Raptor engines were being replaced out of caution.
Starship test flight goals
When this second test flight of Starship V3 does happen, the goals are: successful launch, controlled booster landing, the ship coasting in space, a relight of a single ship engine, deployment of 20 Starlink satellites, and the ship’s splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
Six of those Starlink satellites are outfitted with cameras to assess the ship’s heatshield while it coasts in space. SpaceX did something similar on Flight 12 in May, outfitting two Starlink “simulators” with cameras. On top of SpaceX gathering data, webcast viewers got live views of the ship as it flew above Earth.
The Super-Heavy booster will not be caught back at the launch site for this mission, as SpaceX is still testing the performance of the engines. It will instead be sent on a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of America, also known as the Gulf of Mexico, after stage separation.
Meanwhile, the ship is targeting a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean after its cruise in space. The past few test flights, SpaceX has released footage of the ship landing, and each flight the ship appeared to survive reentry more intact. In the near future SpaceX plans to catch and reuse the ships, yet it is unknown when that first test will come.
Starship coming to Florida
This 13th Starship test flight from Texas marks the second test overall of the new Starship V3 (Version 3), which is the same model of the ship expected to someday launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A. Starship will later also launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 37, where SpaceX is building two launch pads — 37A and 37B.
Starship will play a vital role in the space industry, most notably in NASA’s Artemis return to the moon program. SpaceX is contracted by NASA to provide one of the two human lunar landers. The Starship HLS (Human Landing System) could support a crewed lunar landing as early as Artemis IV in 2028. Before then, a modified Starship V3 will dock with the Orion spacecraft in Earth orbit during the Artemis III mission, which is slated for some time in 2027. Blue Origin is contracted to provide the other human lander.
SpaceX claims that a debut Florida launch for Starship could come as early as later this year, however that depends on how well the upcoming 13th test flight goes and when the Kennedy Space Center launch pad is complete.
The FLORIDA TODAY Space Team will provide live coverage of Flight 13 beginning 90 minutes before liftoff at FloridaToday.com/Space.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX set to attempt next Starship launch Thursday from Texas
Reporting by Brooke Edwards, Florida Today / Florida Today
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By Brooke Edwards, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
