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SpaceX to launch Starship on Flight 13, testing V3 Starlink satellite deployment for first time

SpaceX will launch Starship Flight 13 on 16 July 2026, deploying 20 operational V3 Starlink satellites for the first time—heavier next-generation broadband spacecraft designed to expand network capacity. The test advances SpaceX's path toward rapid reusability and ultimately operating up to 100,000 V3 satellites in orbit, compared to the current 10,800-satellite constellation.

This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of Space Tech. Wire is Fusion42's founder-focused intelligence feed: each story is connected to the funds and startups it names — every one with a live profile on Raise or Scout — so founders can follow the capital and the momentum behind the headline rather than just the headline itself. Wire analysis is one of the live surfaces Arthur, Fusion42's AI co-founder, reasons over.

The Wire takeaway

If you make RF equipment, power systems, or thermal management for satellites, SpaceX just committed to building 100,000 units at 4,400 pounds each—ten times the existing constellation. Your supplier relationships with the primes (Maxar, Northrop, Ball) are about to get very crowded calls about volume and cost.

Read the full story at diyatvusa.com

Topics: Space Tech · starlink-v3 · leo-broadband · satellite-deployment · reusable-launch · capacity-scaling

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Verified 17 July 2026 · Sources: Fusion42 review