Technology · From the edition of Jul 17, 2026
✳ Dated FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2026 ✳
STARSHIP ROARS ALOFT ON THIRTEENTH TRIAL
the rocket cleared the Texas dawn — its booster headed for a fiery end over the Gulf
BOCA CHICA, July 31 — SpaceX launched its thirteenth Starship on Thursday. Traders had put the odds at 91 percent, and the wires had already called it. The silver giant climbed on a column of flame off the Gulf coast, the blast rattling the shoreline.
But bettors gave the Super Heavy booster a 79.5 percent chance of blowing up. That's the deal now: every shot at the Moon and Mars comes with spectacular wreckage. Spectators lined the dunes, binoculars up, half in awe, half hoping for a fireball. Ordinary rockets are museum pieces.
The upper stage arced toward a splashdown in the sea, rated a coin-flippy 70 percent. Nail the water landing and Musk's reusable rocket dream moves one rung higher. Miss it, and engineers pick through the debris — same as always. For now, the world exhales and waits for the next try.
Source: Polymarket · 91% probability — View market ↗