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Was Starship Launch 13 A Success?
['Will Lockett']
Will Lockett's Newsletter
Test Flights 12 and 13 were the first use of the V3 Starship and booster, and SpaceX seems to understand they have taken a step backwards.
Indeed, they were transparent with Launches 1 to 11 but not with Launches 12 and 13 of this V3 Starship.
Now, Starship V2 only ever carried 16 tons on a successful transatmospheric flight, but SpaceX rated Starship V2 at 35 tons to LEO.
Flight 13, like every other Starship launch, wasn’t an orbital flight; it was a transatmospheric suborbital flight.
You see, Flight 13 beautifully demonstrated Starship’s biggest Achilles heel — namely, how launch delays will affect orbital refuelling and boil-off rates.