SpaceX Completes Thirteenth Starship Test Flight With Successful Booster Splashdown

SpaceX launched the thirteenth Starship test flight from its Boca Chica launch site, igniting the vehicle’s three Raptor engines and lifting off as scheduled. The flight marked the latest iteration of the reusable launch system in the development program.

Booster separated from the vehicle and executed a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, where recovery teams retrieved it after a brief drift. The maneuver demonstrated the intended ocean recovery sequence for future operational flights.

Starship continued on its suborbital path, reaching an altitude of approximately 100 kilometers before re‑entry. Data collected will inform design refinements ahead of the next flight aimed at achieving full orbital capability.

Program officials indicated that the thirteenth test validates key systems and sets the schedule for the next launch window later in the year, moving the Starship program closer to commercial and NASA contract milestones.