SpaceX's own deployed satellite films Starship separating in orbit
SpaceX released a 65-second video shot by one of the functional Starlink V3 satellites it deployed during Starship's 13th flight test on July 24 — four cameras on the satellite captured the moment it separated from Starship's 171-foot upper stage. Six of the 20 V3 satellites deployed on that flight double as heat-shield cameras for reentry, an unusual case of the payload itself helping verify the rocket's safety.
SpaceX posted a 65-second clip on its X account showing an unusual angle — a Starlink V3 satellite that had just separated from Starship turning its own cameras back on the rocket as it drifted away.
The footage was captured during Starship's 13th flight test, which launched from Starbase on July 24 — a week after a prior attempt was scrubbed and then aborted due to an engine issue.
Flight 13 marked the first time Starship deployed functional Starlink V3 satellites, releasing 20 of them. Six were fitted with extra cameras tasked with recording how the ship's heat shield holds up during atmospheric reentry.
The newly released clip appears to be from one of those six satellites, stitching together views from its four cameras — starting with a close shot of Starship's sunlit 171-foot upper stage before pulling back to show the moment the two spacecraft separated.
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