SpaceX’s heavy-lift Starship completed its 13th test flight on the afternoon of
the 24th, launching from south Texas at 17:51 ET. The Super Heavy booster
splashed down near the Gulf of Mexico at a higher-than-expected speed after
fewer-than-planned engine relights. The Starship second stage completed a
suborbital flight, ran six engines nominally, briefly restarted one engine in
space to validate on‑orbit ignition for future lunar missions, deployed 20
next‑generation Starlink satellites, and splashed down in the Indian Ocean
northwest of Australia about 1 hour 5 minutes after liftoff.
