Author: Tariq Malik

SpaceX launched the world's most powerful rocket on a critical 13th test flight late Friday, but there was no triskaidekaphobia on this mission.

The July 24 test launch, Space's Starship Flight 13 mission, sent a towering rocket the size of a 40-story skyscraper into space from South Texas, returned its massive Booster to Earth, and then — in a feat perhaps none saw coming — gently landed its Starship upper stage in the Indian Ocean, where it tipped over to float belly up on the sea.

"Starship is intact, floating in the ocean and transmitting telemetry!" SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X.

"That is a first," SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot added in live commentary as a drone beamed stunning views of Starship bobbing in the waves. "That is the softest splashdown we have ever had with Starship in the Indian Ocean."

The splashdown capped what appeared to be a mostly successful test flight of SpaceX's biggest Starship ever. With a mighty roar, Starship Flight 13 lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase, Texas launch site at 6:51 p.m. EDT (2251 GMT) on a test flight that lasted just over one hour.

It was only the second flight of the company's new Starship Version 3 design, or V3, and SpaceX was hoping for a better outing than its first attempt in May. During that previous test, the Starship Flight 12 mission, the massive Super Heavy first-stage Booster suffered engine problems after stage separation and failed to make a water landing in the Gulf of Mexico. It crashed instead.

Lucky Flight 13

Friday's Starship Flight 13 mission fared a bit better.

SpaceX initially tried to launch Flight 13 on July 16, but the rocket aborted the try at the last second due to engine issues. SpaceX replaced some first-stage Raptor engines in time for a July 23 launch attempt, but waved off due to weather, setting the stage for Friday's successful liftoff.

Minutes into the flight, the Super Heavy Booster successfully separated from its Ship upper stage, aced a flip maneuver and returned to Earth. There was a problem during the landing burn. Only five engines appeared to fire when 13 were required to slow the Booster to landing speed. It hit the Gulf waters harder than planned, its camera views cutting out.

"It didn't look like we lit all 13 engines that we were planning for that initial landing burn," Huot said. "We were targeting a softer splashdown and, as you saw, it came in with quite a bit of velocity."

Starlink V3 makes a debut

Despite the Booster's rough landing, there were clear successes on Starship Flight 13.

While sailing on its suborbital trajectory, Flight 13's Ship upper stage deployed 20 next-generation Starlink Version 3 internet satellites — large, flat satellites equipped with laser communications links and expansive solar arrays that will replace SpaceX's current Starlink internet megaconstellation.

Starship is designed to launch 60 Starlink V3 satellites at a time, spitting them out through a slit-like payload bay door like a giant PEZ candy dispenser. All 20 Starlink V3 satellites deployed smoothly, with the last two switching on flashlights and looking back at their Ship carrier before floating off into orbital darkness. The satellites did not stay in space. They fell to Earth and burned up (by design) due to their suborbital flight path.

The Ship upper stage (which SpaceX also refers to as Starship) then reignited one of its six Raptor engines to test a critical engine relight capability that will allow future Starships to enter and leave orbit. The burn went off without a hitch — a milestone since SpaceX had not always performed the burn if a test didn't go smoothly.

Then it was time for reentry, with cameras beaming back stunning views of Starship wrapped in super-hot plasma as it fell back to Earth. The spacecraft executed a three-engine burn to flip over into a vertical landing position, but did shift down to two engines, then one before it toppled over to rest on the waves.

The sight of a floating Starship triggered a cacophony of cheers from SpaceX teams at Starbase and its Hawthorne, California rocket factory in the company's livestream. After all, Starships usually explode after they tip over.

"This is just the first time we've put a Starship into the water," SpaceX's Dan Huot said during live commentary. He called it SpaceX's "softest splashdown" ever. "This is a dream scenario for this team that's trying to get this heat shield data."

The heat shield isn't the only thing SpaceX's recovery team will be looking at.

Live views from Starship showed its six engines intact along with its flaps and other systems. Teams will be poring over what they can retrieve from the sea to help improve future Starship upgrades.

SpaceX is developing Starship to be a fully reusable launch system, a 407-foot-tall (124 meters) megarocket capable of taking Starlink fleets to orbit as easily as it lands NASA astronauts on the moon. That part is key.

NASA has tapped SpaceX's Starship to land its Artemis IV astronauts on the moon in 2028, but SpaceX has yet to ever complete an entire Earth orbit with Starship after 13 test flights and three years of launches. It's been a decade since Elon Musk first unveiled what SpaceX now calls Starship during a 2016 speech.

Over the next two years, SpaceX must not only send a Starship into orbit. The company also aims to return a Ship to Earth to catch it in the "chopsticks" of its Mechazilla launch pad at Starbase. (The company has already done so with its Super Heavy Booster stages.)

SpaceX also must successfully demonstrate in-space Starship refueling, complete an orbital tanker version of Starship, and finish a crewed lander version complete with a life support system that can keep astronauts alive on the moon. That's a lot on the Starship to-do list and NASA is watching.

"Congrats on getting Flight 13 underway," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman wrote on X after the launch. "Excited for what will be learned from this mission. When Starship comes online, its capabilities will be game-changing, not least of which will be ensuring we never give up the Moon again!" In a lunar coincidence, Friday's launch coincided with the 57th anniversary of the Apollo 11 astronauts' return to Earth after their historic moon landing flight.

But for now, SpaceX is clearly celebrating.

"I'm a little over the moon right now," Huot said. "Wow. Lucky number 13. Hell of a great day for Starship."

SpaceX is just a few days away from its first Starship test flight of the summer, and if you're hoping to watch the world's largest rocket lift off, you'll need to know where and when to tune in. But don't worry — we've got you covered.

The next Starship test flight, called Flight 13 (SpaceX doesn't appear to be superstitious), is scheduled to launch from the company's test site in Starbase, Texas near Boca Chica Beach on Monday, July 20. Liftoff is set for 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT).

As its name suggests, the upcoming flight will be the 13th test launch overall of SpaceX's Starship megarocket. It will be the second such flight this year, after the May 22 launch of Starship Flight 12. SpaceX is designing Starship, which stands more than 400 feet (121 meters) tall, to be a fully reusable rocket capable of launching missions to the moon, Mars or beyond.

NASA picked Starship to land its Artemis IV astronauts on the moon by 2028, and SpaceX has sold at least one Starship passenger flight to Mars as well. But before SpaceX can carry astronauts to other worlds with Starship, it has to complete a series of suborbital flights and, eventually, reach Earth orbit for in-flight fueling tests, docking demonstrations and more.

SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 is a suborbital test that will be the second flight of SpaceX's new V3 Starship. Below you'll find details on what time Flight 13 will launch, what the mission will do and a full timeline for the mission.

What time is SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 launch?

SpaceX is currently targeting the launch of Starship Flight 13 for no earlier than 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT) on Monday, July 20. (The company originally tried to lift off on Thursday, July 16, but that attempt was aborted at the last second.) However, the exact timing of the launch could change.

That's because SpaceX has a 90-minute window in which to launch Flight 13 from Starbase Pad 2. Liftoff could occur anytime between 6:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. EDT (2245 to 0015 GMT). SpaceX's launch webcast will begin 30 minutes before liftoff.

And remember, SpaceX likely has backup days, so the launch could slip a bit if needed. In that case, it would likely lift off at the same time — 6:45 p.m. EDT — and have a 90-minute window, as on the coming attempt.

Related: Read our SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy guide for a detailed look

Can I watch SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 launch?

Yes, you'll be able to watch SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 launch online, but you'll have your pick on where to watch.

SpaceX will provide its own livestream of the launch via its X account and the official Flight 13 mission page. If everything is on time, that livestream will begin at 6:15 p.m. EDT (2215 GMT) — 30 minutes before the planned Flight 13 liftoff.

Space.com will simulcast the SpaceX Flight 13 launch webcast on this page, as well as an our homepage and YouTube channel.

A prelaunch show

Now, if you need to get your Starship Flight 13 fix earlier than SpaceX's stream, a good place to look is the NASASpaceflight show: Its livestream will start several hours before liftoff.

The NASASpaceflight launch webcast will begin on July 20 at 3:45 p.m. EDT (1945 GMT). NASASpaceflight has a wealth of cameras installed around SpaceX's Starbase test facility, and the company will share up-close views and live commentary for many preflight activities.

In-person launch options

While SpaceX does not have an official Starship launch viewing site, there are several places where you can see the launch in person around the Starbase area.

For first-time spectators, I recommend watching Starship launch from near the Cameron County Amphitheater at Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island, which is just across the bay from Starbase. The rocky beaches around the amphitheater offer a clear line of sight of the Starship launch pad, and there are often spectators on boats out of nearby Port Isabel offering a picturesque view. It's about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the launch site, and the park has bathrooms.

The traffic getting to South Padre Island (if you're not staying at a hotel on the island) can be heavy on launch days, so another option is watching from the shore in Port Isabel, which is home to Hopper Haus, a SpaceX-themed bar and grill that I can confirm makes awesome burgers.

There is also a shoreline stretch of Highway 48 between Brownsville and Port Isabel, from 6 to 8 miles (10 to 13 km) from the launch site, where you can pull up for the day to watch the launch. It's just the side of the highway, so you won't find amenities like bathrooms there. You can learn more about that at the site SpaceLaunchSchedule.com.

If you're looking for a more rustic experience (and have cash for a $200 ticket, though kids under 17 are $40), you can camp at the Rocket Ranch, which is 3.8 miles (6.1 km) from the Starbase launch site, and camp there for one day and night. It has two viewing locations available, one at an "Outpost" and the other on the campground itself. The Outpost location is the closest and has "unmatched media service," so you can stay connected. Larger four-day camping packages are also available. The ticket includes bus transportation from the ranch campground to a viewing site and back for one launch attempt. I've actually never visited this ranch, but I wanted to include it so you know it's an option. Be sure to read the full Rocket Ranch FAQ so you know what to expect.

How long is SpaceX's Starship Flight 13?

SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 test flight will last just over 1 hour and 5 minutes and should follow the same mission profile as the company's last test, Flight 12, in May. This will be the second flight of SpaceX's new Starship Version 3, or V3.

During Flight 12, the giant Super Heavy booster stage failed to return to Earth properly for a controlled landing and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico (which the Trump Administration has renamed the Gulf of America). Instead, the booster crashed into the ocean.

"The booster’s primary test objective will be executing a successful launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and landing burn at an offshore landing point in the Gulf of America," SpaceX wrote in a mission overview. "There have been several modifications to hardware and software to address issues seen on the previous flight."

Starship Flight 13 will launch from SpaceX's new Pad 2 at Starbase, which the company upgraded with shorter, faster "chopsticks" — capture arms that can catch returning Starship Super Heavy boosters and Ship upper stages during landing, as well as lift vehicles into place on the pad for launch. Check out our full overview on how SpaceX changed Starship for V3 here.

SpaceX will not try to reach orbit with Starship Flight 13 or return its Ship back to Earth for a capture at the launch pad. Instead, both vehicles aim to make controlled descent and water landings, before falling over and sliding into the sea.

While the Super Heavy booster will splash down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Boca Chica, the Ship upper stage will follow a suborbital trajectory for a target splashdown in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia.

During the flight, the Ship vehicle will attempt to deploy 20 Starlink V3 satellites, the company's newer and larger satellite-internet units, but they won't reach orbit. They will follow Starship's suborbital trajectory back down to Earth and burn up in the atmosphere.

Six of the Starlink V3 satellites are equipped with cameras to record live views of Starship and its heat shield and beam them back to Earth for analysis.

"For the first time, Starship will carry V3 Starlink satellites to space, which aim to greatly expand the network's capacity and user speeds. As part of this initial test, Starship is planned to deploy 20 satellites which will extend solar arrays and antennas and will attempt to connect with the larger Starlink constellation via high-capacity lasers," SpaceX wrote in the mission overview. "The Starlink satellites will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship and are expected to demise upon reentry approximately 20 minutes after deployment."

What if Starship Flight 13 can't launch?

If SpaceX can't launch Starship Flight 13 on July 20, the company likely has multiple backup opportunities. So, if bad weather or another technical issue delays launch, SpaceX could try again in the coming days.

Whichever date SpaceX launches Starship Flight 13, you will be able to follow the mission on Space.com. Be sure to return to Space.com on launch day for complete Starship Flight 13 coverage.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 1:15 p.m. ET on July 17 with the new target launch date of July 20.

On paper, it seems like the math would be clear. A nearly 22-year-old space telescope, well past its prime, is falling out of space after decades of hunting the biggest explosions in the universe. Rest in peace, right?

After all, it would cost NASA $30 million to save the telescope, called the Swift Observatory, which the agency launched in 2004 on a planned two-year mission. Some of us have cars that we've replaced far sooner for much less. And now, higher-than-expected drag on the satellite from Earth's outer atmosphere (caused by solar storms) will pull Swift out of orbit by year's end. So why not accept the inevitable fiery demise of the observatory when it plunges back to Earth?

Swift, it turns out, is still worth it, according to NASA. The observatory has spent over two decades as a sort of orbital sentinel that scans the cosmos for gamma-ray bursts, ready to quickly point itself at the short-lived — but insanely powerful — space explosions at a moment's notice. No other off-Earth observatory, not even the famed Hubble Space Telescope or James Webb Space Telescope, can perform such a feat of astronomy. So NASA is launching a rescue mission on June 30, one led by the company Katalyst Space using its new Link spacecraft.

"We didn't want to set the precedent that anything that comes out of orbit has to be boosted, because it is part of our space ecosystem to have things deorbit frequently," Shawn Domagal-Goldman, NASA's Astrophysics Division director, told reporters during a Swift rescue mission briefing on June 17. "But this was not just any spacecraft; this is an observatory with unique capabilities for astrophysics … It is a swift observatory that can quickly pivot across the night sky to find things that go boom in the night."

A sentinel in the night

NASA originally built and launched Swift in 2004 for $250 million. Since then, the observatory has served as a first responder of sorts to rapidly spot distant gamma-ray bursts that can last mere seconds, yet unleash more power than our sun will in its entire lifetime. Because of its success, Swift's mission has been extended repeatedly.

"The name is not an acronym. It comes from the ability to rapidly and autonomously repoint its narrowfield X-ray and UV [ultraviolet] telescopes almost anywhere on the sky," Swift Principal Investigator Brad Cenko told reporters during the June 17 briefing. (NASA renamed Swift the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory in 2018 after the mission's first principal investigator, who died a year earlier.)

"The universe is a very dynamic place. Somewhere in the cosmos, a massive star explodes every second," he added. "And over time, our exceptional operations team, led by Penn State, has found new and innovative ways for the satellite to rapidly respond to these discoveries."

The Hubble Space Telescope can capture sharper photos than Swift, but it takes up to two days to point Hubble at a new target, Cenko said. It takes Swift mere minutes. "It really is NASA's first responder, and by working together in this complementary manner, the NASA astrophysics portfolio can tackle questions that would be impossible for any single facility to answer," Cenko added.

Observations from Swift helped confirm that the heaviest elements in our universe, including precious metals like platinum and gold in your rings and necklaces, were forged by the explosive power associated with gamma-ray bursts (which scientists think are produced by supernovas and neutron-star mergers). In 2022, Swift discovered a gamma-ray burst so bright, scientists nicknamed it the "BOAT," short for Brightest of All Time. At the time,it was the most powerful space explosion ever seen.

But now Swift is falling back to Earth on a trajectory at an increasing rate and will burn up in our atmosphere soon, if nothing is done.

Katalyst to the rescue with Swift Boost

NASA's Swift rescue mission, called Swift Boost, is now scheduled to launch Tuesday (June 30) — about 3 days later than originally planned — on the last-ever Pegasus XL rocket, an air-launched booster built by Northrop Grumman. It will be carried aloft by the last L-1011 Stargazer carrier plane, which Northrop also operates, on a flight out of the U.S. military's Reagan Missile Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific's Marshall Islands.

To rescue Swift, NASA has turned to the untested Arizona-based company Katalyst Space, which the space agency picked to fly the Swift Boost mission just nine months ago, in September 2025. That is a mindbogglingly short time in which to build a brand-new spacecraft, then launch it on a rendezvous mission to a space observatory that was never built to be rendezvoused with, and then push the Swift telescope to a higher orbit — one that will guarantee at least five or more years of science life, if successful.

It's a huge bet, and something that's never been done before. Even Swift's top scientist has butterflies in his stomach.

"Absolutely, no doubt. Been some sleepless nights, a number of them," Cenko told Space.com in an interview last week. "On the other hand, working with this team of folks gives me great confidence."

Cenko and NASA's Swift mission team have worked closely with Katalyst mission managers and engineers on the Swift Boost mission. Katalyst calls its rescue ship Link. It's a small spacecraft about the size of a refrigerator that has three main ion engines, three robotic arms and a suite of sensors and thrusters to attempt to capture the falling Swift observatory. Link has gone from a blank sheet of paper to a finished spacecraft attached to a rocket viaan "unprecendented development timeline," its Katalyst builders said.

"That is something that we were able to do, because every part of this mission has been driven by the exceptional urgency provided by the Swift requirements," said Kieran Wilson, Link's principal investigator at Katalyst. The top requirement: Be ready to launch before Swift falls out of space.

A risky plan

Swift was originally placed in an orbit 375 miles (600 kilometers) above Earth when it launched in 2004. The spacecraft has no engines of its own to maintain its orbit. It's now on a path to fall below 186 miles (300 km) in altitude by October. At that point, Katalyst's Link may not be able to reach Swift in time to save the space telescope.

Testing and computer modeling have been key to try and iron out all the kinks in the mission.

"We've been relying on NASA expertise to ensure that we're not making silly mistakes along the way and maximize our probability of success," Wilson said.

"There's a lot of very simple things that can go wrong, and we're adding a lot of additional complexities to the program, but we've been through an aggressive test campaign over the last few months," he added.

After launch, Link will spend several weeks in orbit conducting a series of tests to ensure it is ready to try and save Swift. If all goes well, it will then rendezvous with Swift, grapple on with its robotic arms, and spend up to three months slowly raising the observatory's orbit.

If Katalyst succeeds in saving Swift, the company will have done something never accomplished in space history: reboosting an ailing space telescope using a spacecraft developed in less than a year to rescue a target that was meant to be left in space on its own forever. Katalyst sees big business in such a service, and already has a U.S. Space Force contract to demonstrate a similar capability for larger spacecraft using its new Nexus vehicle. That mission will launch in 2027.

And if Katalyst doesn't succeed? Then Swift will fall out of space on its own, something the space observatory is already going to do anyway.

Those are stark all-or-nothing stakes, but ones that Cenko can accept. The science team even put Swift in a low-power mode in February, halting all research operations to help slow its drag-induced descent.

"I also remind myself that the alternative here is that we reenter the Earth's atmosphere, so in that sense, you know, the risk here is relatively low," Cenko told me. "Maybe we can't be doing science for a few more months. But trading that against the potential benefit of many years of upsurge? That is a no-brainer."

Editor's note: This story was updated at 4 p.m. ET to reflect the new launch date and time for Swift Boost. The mission will now launch no earlier than Tuesday, June 30, at 6:23 a.m. EDT (1023 GMT).