SpaceX Starship Test Flight 13

Starship launch attempt #1 before the automatic shutdown and the launch scrubbed.

For some time, I had wanted to watch and photograph a rocket launch. When my wife mentioned that one was scheduled for July 20, 2026, we booked a hotel, packed our camera gear, and drove 583 miles to Brownsville, Texas. The trip centered on what would be the first launch attempt from SpaceX Launch Pad #2 in Boca Chica. After researching the nearest unobstructed viewing spot, I chose Rocket Ranch, where we met before being bused to the property—a location also used by several media outlets to livestream launches. Conditions looked promising for the first attempt, but three engines on the rocket booster failed to ignite, triggering an engine shutdown and aborting the launch. Unsure when the booster engines would be repaired or how long the delay would last, we headed home.

After checking the SpaceX website, I saw that the second launch attempt was scheduled for July 20, 2026. I made hotel reservations and drove back to South Texas the day before launch so I could visit the launch pad area, which I had learned was open to the public. I was amazed by the level of access and by how close Highway 4 was to the pad. Several other enthusiasts were there as well, many with extensive knowledge of the program. At dawn the next morning, I returned to photograph the booster on Launch Pad #2 at sunrise.

SpaceX postponed the launch after deciding to replace four engines in the solid rocket booster and test all 37 engines at the Massey Test Site to help ensure a successful attempt. Rather than make another 1,166-mile round trip, I extended my hotel reservation and stayed in Brownsville for a few more days until the rescheduled launch. The extra time allowed me to visit two renowned birding locations: Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and Resaca de la Palma State Park.

Brown Pelican flying low and slow in front of me

On the afternoon before launch, we watched Starship move from the assembly bay down Highway 4 to the launch site, where it was lifted onto the booster in preparation for Test Flight 13 the following evening.

On launch day, anticipation was high as we prepared to witness and photograph a flawless mission: liftoff, the booster’s return to the Gulf of America in front of the launch pad, the deployment of six Generation 3 Starlink satellites, and Starship’s successful landing in the Indian Ocean.

What an experience of: sights, sounds and vibrations