SpaceX Starship 13th flight deploys V3 Starlinks, but booster fails again
Original: SpaceX launches new V3 Starlink satellites but suffers another booster failure
Why This Matters
Repeated booster failures signal ongoing reliability challenges for SpaceX's next-gen launch system post-IPO.
SpaceX successfully deployed first third-generation Starlink satellites on July 24 via Starship's 13th test flight. However, the Super Heavy booster failed during a simulated water landing in the Gulf of Mexico — the second booster failure on a V3 Starship mission.
SpaceX conducted the 13th Starship test flight on July 24, 2026, successfully deploying the first third-generation (V3) Starlink satellites. The upper stage performed without incident, a notable improvement over the first V3 flight in May when it lost one engine mid-flight. However, the Super Heavy booster failed to ignite all required engines for its simulated landing burn and exploded upon high-speed impact with the Gulf of Mexico water — marking the second consecutive booster failure on a V3 mission. The launch came roughly one week after a prior attempt was aborted immediately post-ignition due to multiple engine failures; SpaceX replaced six engines ahead of this flight. The newly deployed Starlink satellites are expected to burn up in the atmosphere approximately 20 minutes after deployment, as Starship has not yet achieved Earth orbit capability. This was the first Starship launch since SpaceX's IPO in June — described as the largest IPO in history — with shares having dropped from a peak of over $200 to $115 at Friday's close, falling an additional 2% in after-hours trading following the booster failure.