SpaceX Confirms Starship Flight 13 Engine Issues Solved in Record Time — Launch Tomorrow

[00:00:00]Excitement at Starbase came to an abrupt halt after SpaceX was forced to abort the launch of Starship Flight 13 in the final seconds of the countdown.

[00:00:09]Following the setback, engineers completed engine replacement, inspections, and other required repairs and are now preparing for another launch attempt. Here's a detailed look at everything that has happened over the past few days. After weeks of testing and final launch preparations, booster 20 and ship 40 stood fully stacked on the orbital launch mount on July 16th for flight 13, the second flight of the upgraded Starship version 3 launch system. Launch day operations proceeded as planned with final vehicle checkouts, propellant loading, engine chill, and the remainder of the countdown completed without any significant issues reported as the vehicle approached liftoff. As the countdown reached zero, Superheavy entered its engine startup sequence.

[00:00:53]However, only 29 of the booster's 33 Raptor engines successfully ignited while four center engines failed to start, detecting the offnominal startup sequence, the onboard flight computers automatically aborted the launch before the hold down clamps were released, keeping the vehicle safely secured to the launch mount. Although the launch was aborted, the event demonstrated that Starship's automated launch abort system functioned as intended. The booster is designed to tolerate up to three engine failures during startup. However, with four engines failing to ignite, the vehicle exceeded its engine out criteria and the launch automatically aborted before liftoff. Identifying such issues before liftoff is far preferable to discovering them after the vehicle has committed to flight. SpaceX subsequently began detanking both stages while engineers reviewed telemetry from the aborted launch attempt. Shortly afterwards, Elon Musk confirmed that several engines had failed to start, triggering the launch abort, and announced that two Raptors on the booster would be replaced following the results of post-abort inspections before the next flight attempt. Following the launch abort, SpaceX distacked ship 40 from booster 20 and returned both vehicles to the production site.

[00:02:04]Although the startup anomaly occurred on booster 20, returning both stages allowed engineers to complete the planned Raptor replacements while conducting vehiclewide inspections and verifying the health of both stages before another launch attempt. That approach was particularly important because flight 12 had already revealed multiple propulsion issues across both stages. And flight 13 encountered another engine related problem before the vehicle even left the launchpad with propulsion anomalies affecting consecutive Starship version 3 test flights. Thoroughly inspecting the entire launch vehicle became the logical next step. During flight 12, all 33 booster engines ignited successfully at liftoff, although one engine shut down during ascent. Following stage separation, slight differences in Starship's engine startup sequence caused Super Heavy's flip maneuver to deviate by approximately 90°. The booster then attempted its boost back burn, but five of its 33 engines experienced problems while attempting to relight, causing the burn to terminate early. During the landing burn, only one engine successfully restarted before the booster impacted the Gulf instead of completing a controlled splashdown. The upper stage also experienced a propulsion issue during flight 12 approximately 40 seconds after stage separation. One of Starship's three Raptor vacuum engines shut down unexpectedly. Although the vehicle successfully reached its planned suborbital trajectory and completed satellite deployment, SpaceX canled the planned inspace Raptor relight demonstration because of the earlier engine failure. Starship nevertheless completed a controlled atmospheric re-entry before performing a targeted splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

[00:03:46]Following the flight 12 anomaly investigation, SpaceX identified heat effects on propulsion system components during ascent and incorrect engine alarm settings as the two most probable causes behind the booster's loss. To address those findings, Superheavy received hardware modifications intended to improve engine relight reliability together with updated engine alarm settings and abort logic for the multi-engine flight environment. SpaceX also modified Starship's engine startup sequence during stage separation to achieve a more reliable booster flip after hot staging. Ship 40 likewise incorporated several hardware and operational changes to address the upper stage engine failure observed during flight 12. However, despite those corrective actions, flight 13 encountered another propulsion related issue. This time before the vehicle even left the launchpad. The startup anomaly is particularly noteworthy because booster 20 had previously completed a 25-second longduration 33 engine static fire without any reported engine issues.

[00:04:48]Although the exact cause of the failed engine startup has not yet been disclosed, the incident once again highlights that the new Raptor 3 engine is still in the early stages of its development and reliability maturation.

[00:05:01]Flight 13 is only the second mission to use SpaceX's third generation Raptor engine, making propulsion system performance one of the mission's primary engineering objectives. As with any new engine design, issues are expected during early test flights. These missions are intended to uncover such issues, validate corrective actions, and progressively build confidence in the Raptor 3 design before Starship transitions to routine operational service. As engineers carried out the post-abort inspection and repair work, matching engine serial numbers later showed that at least three Raptor engines removed from booster 20 had arrived at SpaceX's McGregor test facility, including two that failed to start during the launch attempt and one from the Outer Ring, indicating that more engines were ultimately replaced than the two initially announced by Musk. However, SpaceX has not disclosed why those specific engines were selected for replacement or the extent of any repairs or component replacements performed on the remaining engines. So, the full scope of the post-abort engine work remains unknown.

[00:06:03]Following the week-long engine replacement campaign, detailed inspections and other post-abort work, booster 20 returned to the launch site on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, the booster underwent a standard propellant loading operation followed by venting from the aft section and a controlled detank without a static fire. While the exact purpose of the test remains unknown, it was likely conducted to verify the propulsion system and check for leaks following the engine replacements. SpaceX has since confirmed that additional pre-flight testing on Superheavy is now complete. Attention now turns to ship 40, which is expected to roll out to the launch site and be stacked at top booster 20 as SpaceX now prepares for launch as soon as Thursday, July 23rd, with weather currently the primary watch item.

[00:06:48]Flight 13 will largely follow the same mission profile as flight 12, beginning with liftoff from pad 2 at Starbase.

[00:06:56]During ascent, Starship will fly a more demanding trajectory, experiencing higher dynamic pressure than on previous missions. This places greater loads on the vehicle's heat shield tile attachment system while supporting SpaceX's goal of increasing future payload capability. Instrumented load sensing tiles installed across the heat shield will measure the forces acting on both the tiles and their attachment points during ascent. The data collected will help SpaceX refine future tile attachment designs and improve heat shield reliability. Like ship 39 on flight 12, ship 40 also carries four passive docking interface structures to gather structural and vibration data during ascent. The information collected will help SpaceX evaluate docking hardware and the loads expected during future orbital propellant transfer missions. Following hot staging, Superheavy will perform a boost back burn before attempting another controlled offshore splashdown in the Gulf rather than returning to the launch tower. Meanwhile, Starship will continue along its planned suborbital trajectory and for the first time deploy 20 operational Starlink V3 satellites. The satellites were already integrated into ship 40 and will be deployed individually through the payload bay door. After separation, they will deploy their solar arrays and antennas before attempting to establish laserlink communications with the existing Starlink constellation. Six of the satellites also carry cameras that will image Starship's heat shield during flight. To support those inspections, several heat shield tiles have been painted white to simulate missing tiles and provide clearly identifiable reference points for the onboard cameras. The imagery will help SpaceX evaluate an in-flight inspection technique for assessing the condition of Starship's thermal protection system after ascent and before atmospheric re-entry. In the future, this capability could allow engineers to identify significant heat shield tile damage or loss caused by aerodynamic loads, vibration, and other ascent forces and determine whether it is safe to attempt a return to the launch site. If significant tile damage is detected, the vehicle could instead be directed toward a contingency ocean landing, while a return to Starbase would only be attempted if both the heat shield and other critical vehicle systems satisfy the required safety margins.

[00:09:14]Although the Starlinks will briefly operate in space, they will not enter a stable orbit because the ship itself remains on a suborbital trajectory.

[00:09:23]Instead, they will follow a similar flight path before re-entering Earth's atmosphere and burning up approximately 20 minutes after deployment. Following Starlink deployment, Starship will once again attempt to relight a single Raptor engine in space, an objective that was skipped on flight 12 following the upper stage engine failure. Demonstrating a reliable inspace restart remains an important milestone as future orbital missions will require Starship to perform controlled de-orbit burns rather than relying on an uncontrolled atmospheric re-entry. The mission will also continue testing improvements to Starship's rapidly reusable heat shield.

[00:09:59]As with flight 12, ship 40 carries experimental thermal protection tiles and modified attachment systems across selected areas of the leeward side, including the aft flaps and aft skirt.

[00:10:11]These locations experience significant aerodynamic suction forces while avoiding the highest re-entry heating, allowing SpaceX to evaluate different attachment methods under representative flight conditions. Following re-entry, Starship will attempt another controlled descent before concluding the mission with a planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean, completing a flight lasting just over an hour. Assuming the mission proceeds without further delays or anomalies, flight 13 is expected to provide another important set of engineering data as SpaceX continues refining Starship for routine orbital operations with the mission widely expected to be among the program's final suborbital test flights.

[00:10:53]Now let's discuss the latest updates from the world of science and technology. Indian private space company Skyroot Aerospace successfully placed its Vikram 1 rocket into orbit on its maiden flight marking the first successful orbital launch by a privately developed rocket from India and a major milestone for the country's commercial space sector. Skyroot Aerospace founded in 2018 was established to develop dedicated launch vehicles for the rapidly growing small satellite market.

[00:11:20]Vikram 1 named after Dr. Vikram Sarabi the Indian physicist and astronomer widely regarded as the father of the Indian space program is the company's first orbital launch vehicle. It follows the successful Vikram s suborbital technology demonstrator flown in 2022 which reached an apogee of 89.5 km.

[00:11:40]Vicram 1 is a four- stage expendable small lift launch vehicle approximately 22 meters tall and 1.7 meters in diameter. Built using lightweight carbon composite structures and additive manufacturing techniques, it can deliver up to 350 kg to a 500 km low earth orbit or 260 kg to a 500 km sunsynchronous orbit. The first three stages are powered by Kalam series solid rocket motors while a liquid propellant orbit adjustment module powered by four restartable ramen 1 engines performs precise orbital insertion. The maiden orbital mission designated mission agaman meaning arrival in Sanskrit lifted off from the Satishawan space center in Shriharakakota on July 18th.

[00:12:24]Following liftoff, Vicram 1 ascended along its planned trajectory as all stage separations and subsequent stage ignitions occurred successfully.

[00:12:32]Following third stage separation, launch footage showed the spent third stage remaining in close proximity to the coasting orbit adjustment module for several seconds as both stages followed nearly identical trajectories before gradually drifting farther apart.

[00:12:47]Approximately 130 seconds later, the orbit adjustment module ignited and completed the orbital insertion burn, placing the payloads into a low Earth orbit approximately 16 minutes after liftoff at an altitude of around 450 km and an inclination of about 60°. The mission carried six commercial payloads, including Skyroot's in-house scope experimental payload to validate technologies for future missions. Graa Space's Solaris satellite to demonstrate new capabilities in low Earth orbit.

[00:13:16]Cosmoserve Space's mission embrace, a robotic arm technology demonstrator for future space debris removal. Two technology demonstration payloads from German company Dcubed to validate deployable space technologies. Cosmos Diamond's Cosmic Bloom symbolic lab grown diamond payload and the microart tribute honoring Dr. Vikram Sarabi, Sir CV Ramen and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. three pioneers who shaped India's scientific and space programs. Overall, the mission successfully validated Vikram 1's integrated vehicle design, demonstrating the performance of its propulsion, guidance, and stage separation systems during their first orbital flight.

[00:13:55]Achieving orbit on a maiden launch is uncommon for a newly developed launch vehicle, making this a significant engineering milestone for Skyroot Aerospace. The flight also provides valuable engineering data for future Vikram 1 missions and the continued development of the larger Vicram 2 launch vehicle, which will feature a cryogenic upper stage and increased payload capacity. Thank you for tuning in for the latest science news and Starship updates. If you enjoyed this video, please hit the like button, leave a comment, and share it with your friends. Also, don't forget to subscribe to the channel and turn on notifications so you never miss an