SpaceX flies 13th Starship test, deploys 20 V3 Starlink satellites
What's new: The upper stage reached a soft Indian Ocean splashdown, but the booster made a hard landing after engine relight problems.
SpaceX launched Starship on its 13th test flight Friday from Starbase, Texas, marking the first flight since the company’s IPO last month. The Super Heavy booster separated about two minutes after liftoff and splashed down in the Gulf, but SpaceX said only some engines reignited for the landing burn, resulting in a hard splashdown. The upper stage later made a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean and came to rest intact, giving engineers their first close look at an intact heat shield after reentry. About 18 minutes into the mission, Starship also deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit, the first in-flight test of the larger, more powerful design.