Starship

Flight 13 has entered launch watch: FAA traffic-flow planning lists a tentative July 14 window while SpaceX confirmation and final mission details remain pending.

Status

Launch watch

Awaiting SpaceX confirmation

Launch site

Pad 2

Starbase, Texas

FAA planning window

5:45-7:56 p.m. CDT

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 · tentative

Next mission

Flight 13

Tentative

FAA planning countdown

T-

DAYS

HRS

MIN

SEC

Current evidence

Operational planning

FAA traffic coordination is visible; it is not an official SpaceX launch announcement.

Confirmation

Awaiting SpaceX

Target, hardware, mission profile, authorization status, weather, and webcast remain public confirmation gates.

Current status · updated July 9, 2026

Flight 13 is in operational planning, not yet an official countdown.

The FAA's July 8 traffic plan lists a July 14 opportunity from 22:45 to 00:56 UTC, with July 15 as backup. That is a meaningful near-term signal, but SpaceX has not yet published the mission page, final target, flight profile, or webcast.

FAA planning source

Flight 12 outcome

A strong ship flight and a partial booster return.

Flight 12 debuted Starship V3, Raptor 3, and Pad 2. The ship achieved its planned trajectory, completed its deployment and relight demonstrations, survived reentry, and splashed down. Super Heavy's boostback ended early and the booster hard-splashed in the Gulf.

Watch replay SpaceX mission report

V3 / Pad 2 debut

Completed

Ship trajectory

Completed

Payload demonstration

20 simulators + 2 modified satellites

In-space Raptor relight

Completed

Ship reentry and splashdown

Completed

Booster boostback and landing

Partial / hard splashdown

Flight 13 Confirmation Path

The public evidence that moves Flight 13 from operational planning into an official countdown.

01Done

FAA planning window

July 14 at 22:45 UTC is listed for air-traffic planning, with July 15 as backup.

02Now

Official mission target

Await SpaceX's launch announcement, window, mission profile, and flight-hardware identification.

03Next

Public flight-readiness evidence

Confirm the vehicle pairing, integrated test flow, pad status, and mission authorization with direct sources.

04Watch

Launch-day package

Add weather, notices, webcast, and final window updates once the official countdown begins.

Likely Flight 13 Objectives

Reasonable expectations from Flight 12 and SpaceX's program direction—not confirmed mission assignments.

Primary

Booster flight test

Expected, not yet confirmed: demonstrate a clean V3 ascent and improve the return sequence that ended early on Flight 12.

Complete ascent and hot-stage separation
Demonstrate a clean multi-engine boostback burn
Maintain control through the assigned return profile
Attempt a catch only if SpaceX assigns one

Primary

Ship flight test

Expected, not yet confirmed: repeat V3 engine-out resilience, in-space operations, reentry control, and a clean landing sequence.

Complete the assigned ascent trajectory
Repeat an in-space Raptor relight if included
Gather heat-shield and flap data through reentry
Execute the assigned landing burn or recovery maneuver

Secondary

Payload demonstration

SpaceX expects Starship to begin orbital payload delivery in the second half of 2026, but Flight 13's payload remains unannounced.

Confirm whether Flight 13 carries simulators or operational payloads
Demonstrate the payload-bay sequence if assigned
Separate a Starlink V3 deployment milestone from general vehicle testing

Program Roadmap

Longer-range Starship milestones kept separate from the still-unpublished Flight 13 profile.

Orbital payload delivery

SpaceX says Starship is expected to begin delivering payloads to orbit in the second half of 2026.

Full and rapid reuse

Upper-stage recovery, a future ship catch, and repeatable pad turnaround remain program milestones rather than confirmed Flight 13 goals.

Refueling and lunar systems

In-orbit propellant transfer and Starship HLS development sit on the longer roadmap; NASA now frames Artemis III as a 2027 Earth-orbit integration test ahead of an Artemis IV landing.

Recent Flight Log

Flights 8-12, newest first.

F12

Flight 12

Success

Debuted V3, Raptor 3, and Pad 2; deployed 20 simulators and two modified Starlink satellites, relit a Raptor in space, and completed ship reentry while the booster ended its partial boostback with a hard splashdown.

Friday, May 22, 2026 · 10:30 PM UTCStarship V3Orbital Launch Pad 2

F11

Flight 11

Success

Closed out the V2 era with a successful flight before the program moved to Starship V3 and Pad 2.

Monday, October 13, 2025 · 11:23 PM UTCStarship V2Orbital Launch Pad 1

F10

Flight 10

Success

Returned Starship to a successful integrated flight profile and closed key V2 ascent and reentry objectives.

Tuesday, August 26, 2025 · 11:30 PM UTCStarship V2Orbital Launch Pad 1

Flight 9

Failure

Continued the V2 campaign with another full-stack test, but did not complete the planned flight profile.

Tuesday, May 27, 2025 · 11:36 PM UTCStarship V2Orbital Launch Pad 1

Flight 8

Failure

Repeated booster catch progress while the ship failed before completing the planned profile.

Thursday, March 6, 2025 · 11:30 PM UTCStarship V2Orbital Launch Pad 1

Evidence Status

FAA traffic planning

Watch

July 14 window listed

The FAA's July 8 operations plan lists Flight 13 for July 14 from 22:45 to 00:56 UTC, with July 15 as the backup opportunity.

SpaceX confirmation

Pending

Not yet published

SpaceX has not yet published a Flight 13 mission page, official target, flight profile, or webcast.

Vehicle hardware

Watch

Pairing not official

Ship 40 and Booster 20 are widely expected for Flight 13, but the page treats that pairing as reported until SpaceX confirms it.

Mission authorization

Pending

Public status unclear

FAA traffic planning shows operational coordination, but it does not by itself confirm that every launch-license requirement is closed.

Mission profile

Pending

Awaiting objectives

Orbit, payload deployment, booster return, and ship landing targets remain provisional until SpaceX publishes the Flight 13 plan.

Media and weather

Watch

Pending

An official webcast and useful launch-day weather outlook have not yet been published.

Public Confirmation Gates

Flight 12 baseline published

Operations

SpaceX documented the V3 debut, ship trajectory, payload demonstration, reentry, and the boostback and splashdown issues that frame the next test.

FAA planning window published

Regulatory

FAA traffic-flow planning lists July 14 as the primary opportunity and July 15 as backup.

SpaceX target announced

Media

SpaceX still needs to publish the official Flight 13 target and launch window.

Flight hardware confirmed

Hardware

Treat Ship 40 and Booster 20 as a reported pairing until SpaceX identifies the vehicles publicly.

Vehicle testing confirmed

Testing

Publish dated, sourced proof and static-fire milestones rather than forecasting an assumed test sequence.

Integrated pad flow confirmed

Operations

Rollout, stacking, propellant loading, and final pad work need current public confirmation.

Mission authorization status confirmed

Regulatory

Operational planning is visible, but the public-facing license or modification status still needs a direct FAA source.

Mission profile published

Operations

SpaceX has not yet confirmed whether Flight 13 targets orbit, payload deployment, a catch, or another controlled splashdown profile.

Official webcast published

Media

Add the SpaceX stream only when the official mission page or broadcast becomes available.

Launch-day weather available

Media

Weather belongs in the launch watch only when the forecast horizon is useful and the window is official.

Program Links

SpaceX Starship Flight 12 mission page Flight 13 FAA planning advisory SpaceX 2026 program outlook NASA Artemis architecture update Launch manifest Hero photo: Mobilus In Mobili / CC BY-SA 2.0 Starship V2 Starship V3