SpaceX Starship Deploys 20 Starlink Satellites

Key facts

• SpaceX launched its 13th Starship test flight from Starbase, Texas, deploying 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites.
• The 407-foot (124-metre) Starship V3 rocket lifted off after replacing six engines that failed to ignite in an earlier launch attempt.
• The booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, while the spacecraft completed re-entry and splashdown in the Indian Ocean after traveling over 10,000 miles (16,000 km).
• The deployed Starlink satellites extended their solar arrays and antennas and attempted laser communications with existing Starlink satellites before burning up during re-entry as planned.
• Six of the satellites carried cameras to photograph Starship's heat shield, which also had sensors and painted white tiles to simulate damage for durability testing.
• The test flight was delayed twice—first by a last-second launch abort on July 16, 2026, and then by poor weather from Tropical Storm Bertha.