It is back. Again.
SpaceX is setting the table for another massive Starship test. The target date is Thursday, July 16. Lift off is planned for 6:45 p.m. EDT.
That gives you a 90-minute window to breathe.
Flight 13. That is the number. Thirteen attempts since 2023 to prove that the world’s largest rocket can actually fly, explode, and come back to life.
This one matters.
It’s not just a rocket, it’s a bet.
SpaceX posted on X that they are going for it. This launch features the Version 3 hardware. V3 for short. Bigger. Stronger. Less prone to spontaneous combustion than its predecessor. It was the debut for V3 on the last flight, so Flight 13 is just round two of that specific configuration.
Similar profile to Flight 12, but higher stakes. Always higher stakes.
Why should you care?
Most of you won’t be standing in the dirt at Starbase in Texas. That is fine. You can watch it blow up, or soar, from your couch.
Space.com has a livestream starting thirty minutes before ignition. SpaceX streams on its mission page. They also post updates on their X profile. Pick your poison.
For the desk
If you need to touch wood, or steel, you can buy a model.
Amazon is moving these die-cast rockets fast. They were $47.99, now $39.99. You do the math. It stands 13.77 inches tall. Alloy steel. Weighs 225 grams.
Put it on your desk. Pretend you helped build it.
Does owning the 1:375 scale model help when the real one glitches in mid-air? Maybe not. But it looks good in the photos.
Flight 13 comes less than two months after the last big V3 launch. They are moving fast. Too fast? Nobody knows. They will find out on Thursday.
Wait and see.
