LOS ANGELES, July 24 (Xinhua) -- SpaceX launched the 13th flight test of its giant Starship rocket on Friday.
Starship lifted off from the company's Starbase facility in the U.S. state of Texas at about 5:52 p.m. Central Time. Shortly after launch, SpaceX confirmed stage separation. The Super Heavy booster has splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico as scheduled, according to SpaceX.
The Starship upper stage will attempt to deploy 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, relight a single Raptor engine in space, and conduct a controlled reentry, descent and splashdown in the Indian Ocean, according to SpaceX.
The mission continues testing the upgraded Version 3 Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, which made their debut during the previous flight test in May. ■
