SpaceX to launch 1st Starship since June IPO
SpaceX is set to launch the 13th flight test of its Starship rocket from its Starbase facility in Texas on Thursday, July 16, marking the first launch since the company’s June 12 IPO, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The company announced that the launch window will open at 5:45 p.m. CT and last 90 minutes. A live webcast is scheduled to begin about 30 minutes before liftoff on SpaceX’s official X account and website.
The mission will mark the 13th integrated flight test of Starship and include the first deployment demonstration of 20 Starlink Version 3 simulators, designed to match the size and mass of the next-generation satellites. SpaceX said the payloads are expected to follow the same suborbital trajectory as Starship and will not remain in orbit.
According to the company, the flight will also test improvements to the vehicle’s heat shield and flight systems and evaluate Starship’s ability to deploy payloads in space and to conduct an in-space relight of a Raptor engine.
Starship is the world’s most powerful launch system under development and is designed to be a fully reusable spacecraft capable of carrying crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that SpaceX had completed its historic initial public offering (IPO), raising approximately $85.7 billion, including additional shares purchased by underwriters under the overallotment option.