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'Not looking good right now': Starship likely to be lost at sea 2 weeks after epic 13th test flight, Elon Musk says
Space • • business
Key Points:
- SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 successfully launched on July 24, with the 171-foot upper stage, Ship, splashing down intact in the Indian Ocean near Western Australia, marking an unprecedented survival of the vehicle after ocean landing.
- Despite Ship remaining intact and being towed toward shore, Elon Musk indicated that the recovery effort is unlikely to succeed due to challenging conditions and rough seas.
- The mission achieved a key milestone by deploying 20 functional next-generation Starlink V3 satellites during its suborbital flight, advancing SpaceX's broadband constellation goals.
- Musk stated that the heat shield, a critical and previously challenging component for Starship's reusability, appears to be effectively solved, a major step toward operational flight.
- Starship remains central to SpaceX's plans for rapid reusable spaceflight and ambitious projects like a million-satellite AI constellation in Earth orbit.
