SpaceX Starship Flight 13: Engine Abort, Tropical Storm Threat, and the First Starlink V3 Deployment

Elon Musk confirmed that the hard engine stop during the launch attempt required at least two Raptor engines to be replaced . SpaceX subsequently destacked Ship and Super Heavy, rolled them back to the hangar, and swapped out the affected engines . In addition to the engine replacements, SpaceX modified the startup sequence to make it "more robust to timing variability" and improve the reliability of flipping engines in the desired direction during ignition .

Mission Objectives

Flight 13 is the second flight of the upgraded Starship V3 (third-generation) design . It carries ambitious objectives that, if achieved, would mark a significant leap in the Starship program's capabilities:

• First deployment of operational Starlink V3 satellites: The flight will carry 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, the first operational (non-simulator) payload on a Starship test flight . Six of these satellites have been modified with cameras to inspect Starship's heat shield after reentry .
• In-space Raptor engine relight: SpaceX will attempt to restart a Raptor engine while in space, a critical milestone for controlled deorbit and orbital return that no prior Starship flight has achieved .
• Splashdown targets: The Super Heavy booster is targeted for a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship upper stage is targeted for a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean .

Weather Threat: Tropical Storm Bertha

The biggest unknown for the July 23 attempt is the weather. As of 11 a.m. CT on July 23, the National Hurricane Center reported that Tropical Storm Bertha was located about 35 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, moving west at 10 mph toward the Texas coast . A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Gulf Coast from Morgan City, Louisiana, to Sargent, Texas, which includes the Starbase area near the Texas-Louisiana border .

Meteorologists from the San Antonio Express-News report that today's attempt is "likely to be affected by rain, thunderstorms and wind" as Bertha approaches . Ground-level gusts of 30–50 mph are being recorded along the Gulf Coast , and the launch-time forecast at Starbase calls for a 50% chance of rain . SpaceX has stated that weather is currently a significant watch item for the launch window, and the USA Today reports that this time around, "it may not be mechanical concerns that delay the crucial uncrewed test flight, but more natural ones" .

Bottom Line

The launch is scheduled for today's window, but Tropical Storm Bertha makes a weather scrub a strong possibility. If the launch proceeds, it will be a landmark mission: the first deployment of operational Starlink V3 satellites and the first attempt at an in-space Raptor relight, following two engine replacements and a reworked ignition sequence from the July 16 abort.