SpaceX Starship's 13th test flight — first fully intact splashdown for new V3 design
SpaceX's second test flight of its redesigned Starship V3 on July 24 saw the ship's upper stage remain fully intact after splashdown for the first time ever — though the Super Heavy booster hit its target zone with what some outlets called a 'hard' splashdown. The flight was a retry of the very test whose earlier delay had helped drag SpaceX shares to a post-IPO low, and it's an early test of whether the company's all-in bet on Starship — after effectively halting new Falcon 9 commercial bookings past 2028 — is paying off.
This was Starship/Super Heavy's 13th flight overall, and the second test of the larger, more powerful V3 redesign. The launch had been delayed once over weather and technical issues — the same delay that, as covered elsewhere in this briefing, helped push SpaceX shares to a post-IPO low — before finally flying on July 24.
The result was a mixed success. Starship's upper stage splashed down with its hull fully intact, still floating with many onboard cameras transmitting video — a first in SpaceX's test-flight history. Separately, the Super Heavy booster hit its target splashdown zone, though some outlets described the landing as 'hard.'
Elon Musk said on X that the flight showed a significant improvement in heat-shield performance over prior tests. SpaceX has already said it will effectively stop taking new Falcon 9 commercial bookings past 2028, shifting the company's center of gravity fully onto Starship — making this test an early signal of whether that long-term bet is on track.
For Tesla shareholders, SpaceX is a separate company, but as covered elsewhere this week, most of Musk's wealth is tied up in Tesla and SpaceX shares together, and SpaceX's stock swings have drawn market attention since last month's IPO. Since the test fell short of a clean full success, whether SpaceX shares — and market confidence in Musk — recover is something to watch heading into the next test flight.
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