Key developments

1. Jul 25, 2026

   SpaceX targets a July 24 launch for Starship's 13th flight after multiple delays caused by weather and an earlier aborted engine start.

   77 sources on this →
2. Jul 25, 2026

   SpaceX conducts a California Falcon 9 Starlink launch from Vandenberg and prepares a separate Cape Canaveral mission carrying Northrop Grumman payloads.

   146 sources on this →

Coverage across the spectrum

Stories in this storyline

SpaceX Set for 13th Starship Flight From Starbase

SpaceX is set to mark California’s 50th Falcon 9 launch of 2026 from Vandenberg, delivering Starlink satellites with a July 21 window of 7:00–10:47 a.m. PT and a reusable first stage targeting a droneship landing in the Pacific. On the same day, a separate Florida launch from Cape Canaveral/KSC will carry Northrop Grumman’s MRV and Mission Extension Pods, with potential viewing along the Space Coast depending on weather.

146 sources

Photo: SpaceX — Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons

Starship Flight 13: Ocean Splashdowns, Florida Plans

SpaceX has delayed the Starship 13th flight multiple times, most recently setting a July 24 target after weather disruption and earlier engine-start failures following a July 16 abort, with the May S39 test having ended in an explosion. The postponements come amid heightened investor and public scrutiny after SpaceX’s IPO, as the company pushes to validate Starship’s performance for future Mars missions and, in some reports, to test upgraded Starlink satellites.