SpaceX has rescheduled the launch of the Starship rocket, which was set to be its 13th test flight. Initially scheduled for Thursday (23) at 7:45 PM Brasília time, the procedure was postponed by one hour due to bad weather at Starbase, located in Texas, USA. Subsequently, the company confirmed on X the new date for Friday (24), with a planned start time of 8:45 PM, maintaining the 90-minute window of previous schedules.
The previous week, SpaceX was unsuccessful in sending Starship into space for the thirteenth time. Although the launch followed protocol, it was automatically interrupted after the timer reached zero. Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX, communicated via X that the failure occurred because some of the engines did not ignite, and he informed that two engines would be replaced.
This new test flight aims to replicate the objectives of the previous mission, which marked the debut of the V3 versions of the Starship and Super Heavy vehicles. A novelty this time is the transportation, for the first time, of new generation Starlink V3 satellites. The main focus of the Super Heavy booster is to successfully complete all initial phases of the flight, including launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and landing on a maritime platform in the Gulf of Mexico.
To ensure success, the company implemented several modifications to both hardware and software to correct the issues detected in the previous test. Specifically, during stage separation in flight 12, small discrepancies in the ignition of the Starship engines caused an approximate 90-degree misalignment in the Super Heavy's rotation maneuver. To mitigate this, the engine ignition sequence was adjusted to be more robust against time variations and to ensure correct rotation with greater safety.
Additionally, in flight 12, after separation and the rotation maneuver, the Super Heavy began the boostback burn, but five of its 33 engines failed to reignite, forcing the premature termination of the maneuver. For the next flight, the booster received hardware improvements aimed at increasing engine reignition reliability, along with updates to alert and abort systems to better reflect flight conditions with multiple engines active simultaneously.
The Starship upper stage has three primary goals: placing 20 Starlink V3 satellites into suborbital orbit, reigniting a Raptor engine in space, and executing a controlled atmospheric reentry, followed by descent and splashdown in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX also made adjustments to the Starship's propulsion system to resolve the engine failure that occurred previously. In the past mission, about 40 seconds after separation, the craft lost one of its three Raptor engines optimized for vacuum, but managed to maintain the mission with one inoperative engine and achieved the planned suborbital trajectory. The company details that various operational and hardware changes have been implemented to address the causes of this problem, with additional reliability improvements expected for future Raptor engine versions.
For the first time, Starship will carry Starlink V3 satellites, designed to substantially expand the network's capacity and increase service speed for users. In this initial test, the craft should release 20 satellites. After separation, these will begin deploying solar panels and antennas to attempt to establish communication with the Starlink constellation through high-capacity lasers. The satellites will remain in Starship's suborbital trajectory and will be destroyed during atmospheric reentry, about 20 minutes after being released.
Six of the satellites were equipped with cameras capable of inspecting the Starship's heat shield during the flight, transmitting images to ground teams. The purpose is to continue evaluating methods for analyzing the heat shield's conditions for future missions where Starship will return to the launch site. As part of this experiment, several panels of the vehicle's thermal coating were painted white to simulate missing parts and serve as targets for the cameras.
In addition to satellite inspections, the mission will include various tests and experiments focused on the Starship's heat shield, continuing the development of a fully reusable vehicle with rapid preparation for new flights. Among the planned tests is the installation of multiple thermal panels on the metallic structure of the vehicle's rear fins, as well as the use of modified panels and new fastening mechanisms in the area of the heat shield covering the tail. The goal is to collect in-flight data on different fastening techniques. Starship will also use panels equipped with load sensors to measure the stresses supported by the heat shield during ascent. In this mission, the craft will face dynamic pressure higher than in previous flights, which will intensify stress on panel fastenings in exchange for higher orbital payload capacity.
The Starship flight history includes several milestones: Flight 1, in April 2023, resulted in an explosion while attached to Super Heavy, activating the self-destruct system due to engine failures. Flight 2, in November 2023, allowed for the initial separation of Super Heavy, but the booster subsequently exploded, leading to the loss of Starship before the flight concluded. Flight 3, in March 2024, lasted about 50 minutes and was considered a significant advance, despite the loss of the vehicle before the programmed landing.
In June 2024 (Flight 4), Starship achieved a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean, while Super Heavy landed in the Gulf of Mexico. In October 2024 (Flight 5), SpaceX successfully captured Super Heavy on the launch tower for the first time, and Starship also executed a controlled reentry. Flight 6, in November 2024, saw the booster achieve a controlled landing and the craft reignite an engine in space. Flight 7, in January 2025, ended with the loss of Starship after an explosion during testing. In March 2025 (Flight 8), the upper stage lost stability approximately eight minutes after launch and was destroyed. Flight 9, in May 2025, marked the first reuse of a Super Heavy, although failures prevented some planned experiments. In August 2025 (Flight 10), the mission achieved crucial objectives, such as satellite simulator tests, in-space engine reignition, and controlled reentry. Flight 11, in October 2025, successfully concluded the V2 phase of Starship, including the controlled landing of Super Heavy, the craft's reentry, and new operational tests. Finally, Flight 12, in May 2026, was the first test of the V3 version, presenting notable advances, such as the launch of simulators and two modified Starlink satellites. However, the Super Heavy booster suffered a failure during the return attempt because the engines did not reignite correctly after separation.
SpaceX has received authorization from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct another test with Starship, following a detailed investigation into the failure that occurred in the Super Heavy booster during the flight in May.
This new launch will be the second of the V3 version of the rocket and will also mark the introduction of the first Starlink V3 satellites, which are essential for expanding the company's space internet network. The event is scheduled for next Thursday, the 16th, with an expected time between 7:45 PM and 9:15 PM, Brasília time.
The project revision was motivated by the failure observed during the 12th flight. In May, the Super Heavy was supposed to simulate a landing in the Gulf of Mexico, but the engines failed to reignite properly after stage separation. According to SpaceX, small discrepancies in engine ignition caused an unwanted 90-degree rotation in the booster.
After meticulous analysis, the company adjusted the ignition sequence and implemented corrections aimed at greater reliability in reignition. The FAA also identified other contributing factors, such as thermal effects on propulsion system components during the rocket's ascent and inadequate settings in the engine alarm system.
The announced modifications include adjustments to the engine ignition system, enhancements to booster reignition reliability, changes to alert and mission abort protocols, as well as modifications to both hardware and operational procedures.
In addition to validating the corrections made to the Super Heavy, the next flight aims to place 20 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit. These satellites are larger and more powerful than previous models. SpaceX reported that they will use high-capacity lasers to connect to the main Starlink constellation and will disintegrate in the atmosphere approximately twenty minutes after launch.
Six of these satellites will be equipped with cameras intended to capture images of the external surface of the Starship, providing crucial data for engineers to analyze the vehicle's behavior throughout the flight.
SpaceX's approach remains firmly anchored in the philosophy of 'fly, fail, correct.' Each launch serves as a source of valuable information to refine the design and bring the company closer to its goal of operating a completely reusable system.
The current expectation is to confirm whether the changes applied after the May test resolved the problem faced by the Super Heavy. Positive performance in this flight will strengthen the company's plans to expand Starlink and prepare for future missions to the Moon and subsequently Mars.
The flight history includes: Flight 1 in April 2023, where Starship exploded attached to Super Heavy due to engine failures; Flight 2 in November 2023, which allowed initial separation but resulted in the booster exploding and the loss of Starship; Flight 3 in March 2024, which achieved a significant advance in about 50 minutes despite being lost before the planned landing; Flight 4 in June 2024, with controlled landing of Starship in the Indian Ocean and Super Heavy in the Gulf of Mexico; Flight 5 in October 2024, where SpaceX captured the Super Heavy on the launch tower and Starship performed a controlled reentry; Flight 6 in November 2024, with controlled booster landing and in-space engine reignition; Flight 7 in January 2025, which ended with the loss of Starship after an explosion; Flight 8 in March 2025, where the upper stage lost stability eight minutes after launch and was destroyed; Flight 9 in May 2025, which marked the first reuse of Super Heavy but had partial experiments compromised by failures; Flight 10 in August 2025, meeting goals such as satellite simulator tests, in-space engine reignition, and controlled reentry; Flight 11 in October 2025, successfully concluding the V2 phase, including controlled landing of Super Heavy and spacecraft reentry; and Flight 12 in May 2026, the first V3 version test, which showed notable advances but suffered a Super Heavy failure upon attempting return because the engines did not reignite correctly after separation.
