SpaceX NASDAQ:SPCX, Elon Musk's space and satellite company, is preparing for a major test of its Starship rocket on Thursday, with liftoff targeted for 5:45 p.m. local time from the company's Starbase facility in South Texas. The mission will mark Starship's 13th flight, the second launch of the upgraded Version 3 rocket and the first test since SpaceX raised approximately $86 billion through its June initial public offering. SpaceX shares climbed sharply following their market debut but later lost momentum, closing near the $135 IPO price on July 15. The upcoming flight could therefore become an important milestone for investors assessing whether the company can advance the rocket program that supports several of Musk's most ambitious plans.
Starship is expected to play a central role in expanding the Starlink communications network, placing data centers in space and eventually sending humans to the moon and Mars. SpaceX has designed the Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft to return to Earth intact and fly again, although the program has experienced explosions, technical problems and delays during development. The company has spent more than $15 billion developing the rocket, while Musk has suggested that the upgraded V3 vehicle could achieve full reusability before the end of the year. During Starship's previous test in May, the spacecraft successfully released mock satellites, but the booster spun out of control and one engine shut down earlier than planned. SpaceX has since introduced hardware and software changes intended to address those problems.
Thursday's mission will require the Super Heavy booster to ignite 33 Raptor engines, separate from Starship and attempt a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Starship is expected to travel at near-orbital speeds, relight one of its engines and deploy 20 upgraded Starlink satellites that will extend their solar arrays and attempt to connect with the wider network through laser communications. The satellites are scheduled to reenter the atmosphere and burn up roughly 20 minutes after deployment, while Starship is expected to splash down in the Indian Ocean around one hour after launch. Raymond James analyst Brian Gesuale said stronger engine performance, a successful relight and landing sequence, and improved heat-shield and control-surface data could make Flight 13 a meaningful advance over Flight 12. Gesuale described an operational Starship as critical to the SpaceX investment thesis, while Stifel analyst Jonathan Siegmann suggested a successful mission could support the company's first orbital attempt on the next flight. Progress may also matter for SpaceX's $4 billion of NASA contracts to land astronauts on the moon as early as 2028, which will require in-space refueling, at least a dozen consecutive launches and evidence that Starship can safely carry humans.