SpaceX plans Starship's 13th test flight for Thursday

SpaceX is preparing for the 13th test flight of its Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster, scheduled for Thursday at 5:45 PM CDT (22:45 UTC). This flight will feature significant differences from the previous test in May, including the deployment of 20 operational Starlink Version 3 satellites from Starship's cargo bay. The satellites will not be part of SpaceX's operational network, but engineers will attempt to establish laser communication links between the Starlink V3s and other spacecraft in low-Earth orbit to validate interoperability with earlier Starlink models.