SpaceX delays Starship's 13th test flight to Friday due to weather By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Space Exploration Technologies Corp (NASDAQ:SPCX) on Thursday postponed the 13th test flight of its Starship launch system by one day, citing unfavorable weather conditions at its Starbase launch site in Texas.

"Now targeting Friday, July 24 for Starship's thirteenth flight test, due to weather," the company said in a post on X.

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SpaceX added that "a key objective for the flight test is to get clear imagery from the ground of Starship's heatshield as it flies at a higher dynamic pressure during ascent, which won't be possible with today's weather conditions." It said visibility is forecast to be ideal for a Friday attempt.

The company had originally planned to launch the mission on Thursday. The 13th test flight is expected to advance SpaceX's development of Starship, the fully reusable rocket system designed for future lunar and Mars missions as well as commercial satellite launches.

The flight follows SpaceX's previous Starship test in May, during which the Super Heavy booster was successfully recovered, while the upper-stage spacecraft completed much of its planned mission profile before experiencing a loss of attitude control during re-entry.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration earlier this month cleared SpaceX to proceed with Flight 13 after reviewing the previous test, allowing the company to continue its flight test campaign.

SpaceX has said the latest mission will include upgrades aimed at improving the reliability of both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage as it works toward more frequent launches and eventual full reusability.