SpaceX Launches MRV-MEP Satellite Servicing Mission as Starship Flight 13 Faces Setbacks

SpaceX launches the Northrop Grumman MRV-MEP mission today from Cape Canaveral, deploying a robotic satellite servicing vehicle and extension pods to geosynchronous orbit on a Falcon 9's final flight. Meanwhile, Starship Flight 13 — set to debut Starlink V3 satellites — was scrubbed twice due to engine issues, now targeting July 23.

Key Takeaways

SpaceX launches the Northrop Grumman MRV-MEP mission today from Cape Canaveral, deploying a robotic satellite servicing vehicle and extension pods to geosynchronous orbit on a Falcon 9's final flight.
Meanwhile, Starship Flight 13 — set to debut Starlink V3 satellites — was scrubbed twice due to engine issues, now targeting July 23.

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SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, July 21 for launch of the Northrop Grumman MRV-MEP mission to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The four-hour window opens at 5:15 p.m. ET.

The mission carries a Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) and multiple Mission Extension Pods (MEPs) designed to service satellites already in orbit, extending their operational lives. This will be the 32nd and final flight for this Falcon 9 first-stage booster, which previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and 27 Starlink missions. Due to the demanding geosynchronous transfer orbit requirements, the booster will be expended.

Meanwhile, SpaceX's Starship program continues to face technical hurdles. Starship Flight 13 — the second flight of the third-generation Starship vehicle and the first to attempt deploying production Starlink V3 satellites — experienced a last-second abort on July 16 when four of Super Heavy Booster 20's 33 engines failed to ignite. "Some of the engines didn't start, triggering an automatic launch abort," Elon Musk posted on X.

A second attempt on July 20 was also scrubbed under similar circumstances. The company is now targeting July 23 for the next attempt. When it flies, Flight 13 will deploy 20 Starlink V3 satellites on a suborbital trajectory, test in-space Raptor engine relight, and attempt a controlled booster landing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Flight 13 is also notable as SpaceX's first Starship mission since the company went public on the Nasdaq. The setbacks come as NASA relies on a modified Starship Version 3 with a docking adaptor for the Artemis 3 mission, currently scheduled for next year. Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president, told CNBC in June that an orbital launch could come as soon as Flight 14, and that a monthly launch cadence is the company's target.