SpaceX completed a static fire test of Booster 20, the latest Super Heavy vehicle equipped with 33 Raptor 3 engines, on July 10 at Starbase in Texas. The roughly 25-second burn clears the way for Starship Flight 13, which the FAA indicates could launch as early as July 15. This represents the second Version 3 booster to reach the pad, featuring upgrades including enhanced avionics, a taller fuel tank, and propellant transfer equipment needed for missions under NASA's Artemis program.
Flight 13 will follow the same objectives as Flight 12 in May, which encountered issues with booster maneuvering and an upper-stage engine anomaly. Ship 40 and Booster 20 will attempt another suborbital trajectory with ocean splashdowns, working toward SpaceX's goal of recovering both stages at Starbase using the Mechazilla capture arms. That capability remains the critical next step before Starship can demonstrate orbital insertion and propellant transfer, technologies required to support lunar lander missions for NASA's return to the moon.