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As SpaceX prepares to bring its massive Starship rocket to Florida launch pads and support NASA's Artemis moon program, the company's 13th flight from Texas marked a largely successful debut of Starship's Version 3 design, culminating in the ship's first intact splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

"Lucky number 13. Hell of a flight for Starship," SpaceX's Dan Huot said during the webcast. "Really great day for Version 3."

For the first time, SpaceX landed Starship mostly intact in the Indian Ocean, a major milestone. The ship touched down under engine power, tipped over while still slightly burning and then bobbed gently in the water. There was no explosion or major fire.

Onboard cameras continued streaming views from the ship, while SpaceX's overhead cameras showed that most of the hexagonal heatshield tiles remained attached.

The 13th Starship test flight had launched at 6:51 p.m. ET. July 24 from its Starbase, Texas launch pad. While the ascent went well, only eight out of the 13 Super Heavy booster engines needed for landing ignited. The result was a harder splashdown than intended for the booster in the Gulf of America, also known as the Gulf of Mexico.

Meanwhile, the Starship continued to coast through space fulfilling planned goals such as deploying 20 Starlink V3 satellites and relighting a single engine in space.

The 20 Starlink V3 satellites were a demonstration test of the latest version of the company's internet satellites. SpaceX said teams were able to make contact with all 20 before they reentered the atmosphere shortly into the flight.

SpaceX said that once operational, future Starship launches will have the capacity to deliver 60 of these V3 Starlink satellites to orbit -- a massive increase in the 29 typically delivered on current Falcon 9 launches.

The liftoff came a week after four of the 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster failed to start, causing a rare post-ignition abort. The cause: issues with the engine's turbopumps, according to SpaceX. This prompted teams to replace six of the engines out of caution.

SpaceX eventually plans to land and reuse both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship. The Version 3 Super Heavy has experienced engines issues on both the May 22 and July 24 flight, but the V3 Starship has proven to be a step in the right direction for SpaceX's ambitions.

Starship coming to Florida

While Starship is planning to launch from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A and Launch Complex 37 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the future, it is still undergoing these test flights from Starbase. While this 13th test flight went well, it remains to be seen just how soon the massive rocket arrives in Florida.

SpaceX has previously stated the first launch from Pad 39 could happen as soon as the end of the year, as work on that pad is nearing completion.

Beyond launching Starlink satellites and advancing SpaceX's long-term deep-space goals, Starship is also expected to carry future payloads for NASA and the Space Force.

Starship also plays a key role in NASA's Artemis moon program. SpaceX is developing the Starship Human Landing System, or HLS, which could carry astronauts to the lunar surface as early as Artemis IV.

Before then, a modified Starship V3 is expected to dock with Orion in Earth orbit during the 2027 Artemis III mission. For this mission, NASA said that a docking system will be installed at the nose of the Starship. While the test will evaluate Orion's docking with the Starship, the crew will not enter.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 'Lucky number 13' SpaceX's Starship ends test flight with intact splashdown