SpaceX launches Starship on 13th test flight, deploys first Starlink V3 satellites

SpaceX launched Starship on its 13th test flight, successfully deploying 20 Starlink V3 satellites for the first time and achieving its most successful upper-stage recovery to date, with the spacecraft remaining largely intact and transmitting data after splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of Space Tech, and 16 sources have reported it between 20 Jul 2026 and 5 Aug 2026.