SpaceX is targeting July 16 for Starship Flight 13, the second launch of the larger V3 configuration. The mission comes less than two months after V3's debut on Flight 12, which encountered problems that SpaceX has now analyzed and addressed. Flight 13 will attempt to complete objectives that V3 did not fully accomplish on its first flight, primarily focusing on Super Heavy's boostback burn and soft splashdown, as well as Ship's in-space engine relight and deployment of 20 Starlink V3 satellites.
The FAA cleared the way for Flight 13 on July 13 after approving SpaceX's corrective actions. During Flight 12, a sequence change in Ship's engines caused a 90-degree orientation error in Super Heavy after separation, and five of Super Heavy's 33 engines failed to relight during the boostback burn. SpaceX has implemented a modified startup sequence for Ship and hardware updates to Super Heavy's engines to address these issues. The launch window opens Thursday at 6:45 p.m. EDT, and if Flight 13 succeeds, SpaceX could attempt the first full-stage recovery at its Texas launch site as early as Flight 14.