SpaceX的星舰火箭周五从德克萨斯州南端基地成功升空，执行第13次测试飞行[1]。这也是该火箭V3版本今年第二次飞行[1]。高达407英尺（124米）的星舰火箭释放了20颗最先进的星链卫星，将其送入124英里（200公里）的轨道高度[1]。
火箭随后在印度洋实现了软着陆，创造了迄今最成功的返回记录[1]。SpaceX工程师Kate Tice将这次飞行称为"幸运的第13次"[1]。
本次任务的数据收集成果显著。埃隆·马斯克在社交媒体X上表示，"我们得到了所有需要的热盾数据，甚至更多"[1]。NASA负责人Jared Isaacman也在X上表达了对"这次任务将学到的东西"的期待[1]。
这次飞行是为NASA阿尔忒弥斯III任务的月球登陆做准备[1]，该任务计划包括三名美国宇航员和一名意大利宇航员[1]。目前，超过10,000颗星链卫星已在轨运行[1]。
本次发射原计划于7月16日进行，但因发射中止而延迟[1]。随后周四热带风暴贝莎带来的厚云层再次阻延了发射日期[1]。
SpaceX conducted the thirteenth test flight of its Starship rocket on Friday, successfully deploying twenty of the company's most advanced Starlink satellites [1]. The 407-foot-tall vehicle lifted off from the company's facility in South Texas and executed a soft landing in the Indian Ocean, marking the most successful return to date for the vehicle [1].
The flight represented the second test of the V3 version of Starship this year [1]. Starship released the Starlink satellites at an altitude of 124 miles [1]. According to SpaceX engineer Kate Tice, the mission was a "lucky flight 13" [1]. Elon Musk stated on X that "we got all the heat shield data we needed, and more" [1].
The test flight advances preparations for NASA's Artemis III mission, which aims to land three American and one Italian astronaut on the Moon [1]. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman expressed excitement on X about "what we'll learn from this mission" [1].
More than ten thousand Starlink satellites are currently in orbit [1]. The launch had been delayed due to an abort on July 16 and thick cloud cover brought by Tropical Storm Bertha on Thursday [1].