SpaceX’s latest Starship test offered a familiar split-screen result: a genuine step forward in orbit, paired with another setback on the way home. The company successfully deployed its first third-generation Starlink satellites, but once again failed to bring the Super Heavy booster through its planned return intact.

The 13th Starship test flight is being read in two ways at once. On one hand, it marked a meaningful milestone for SpaceX’s upgraded V3 vehicle, which successfully carried and released 20 Starlink V3 satellites into space.Elon Musk (elonmusk)¹ That was a key objective after an earlier July launch attempt was scrubbed at ignition because of engine trouble, prompting SpaceX to replace six engines before trying again.²

On the other hand, the booster remains a weak point. TechCrunch reported that the Super Heavy stage “wasn’t able to properly fire up all of the engines required for its simulated landing burn,” and “exploded after a faster-than-expected impact with the water.”² That makes it the second serious booster issue on the V3 variant in as many flights.²

The upper stage told a more encouraging story. Unlike the previous V3 test in May, this time Starship reached orbit, deployed its payload, survived reentry, and completed a simulated ocean landing.² Elon Musk underscored that result in a post saying, “Starship is intact, floating in the ocean and transmitting telemetry!”Elon Musk (elonmusk)³ Ars Technica went further, calling the mission’s finish an “auspicious end” and reporting that SpaceX is now eyeing a tower catch of Starship on the next flight.⁴

That contrast explains the mixed verdict. Supporters can point to real progress in the ship itself and the first on-orbit V3 Starlink deployment. Skeptics, though, have fresh evidence that SpaceX still has not solved a core part of full reusability: reliably recovering the giant booster. For now, Starship is advancing—but unevenly.