SpaceX had a lucky day on Friday. It sent its thirteenth Starship full-scale test flight from South Texas, halfway around the globe, to a splashdown intact and exactly as planned in an isolated section of the Indian Ocean.
Starship’s splashdowns have been precise in the past. The ship rolled gently and floated in an isolated stretch of ocean to the west of Australia. SpaceX officials are used to conflagrations after previous splashdowns.
After reaching the Indian Ocean, it appeared that Starship was in good shape. Engineers from SpaceX flew drones above the vehicle in order to examine its heat shield. They got their best view yet of how the more than 18000 ceramic tiles that insulated the stainless steel ship’s airframe endured the journey to and from space. As Starship sped back to Earth after its one-hour flight, the tiles were able to withstand temperatures of up 1,430deg Celsius (2,600deg F).
Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO and founder, said that the perfect end of Friday’s launch encouraged SpaceX to make the next step with Starship. This would require launching Starship into a higher-altitude orbit (possibly low Earth), to return the vehicle to its launch site. The launch tower’s mechanical arms will try to catch the vessel as it hovers. SpaceX already did this when it launched the massive Super Heavy booster of its rocket, which was heavier and larger than Starship, yet returned at only a fraction the speed.
Musk posted on Friday night that SpaceX would try to capture the ship and tower in the next flight if we don’t find any problems.
Data hungry
The performance and durability the Starship heat shield is one of the biggest challenges. SpaceX has ambitious plans for Starship, including rapid turnarounds and multiple flights per day. The heat shield must be able to withstand the extreme temperature and vibrations it experiences during the launch and landing. The heat shield can’t just be repaired or replaced every time.
Dan Huot is a SpaceX communication manager who commented on SpaceX’s webcast. This is the perfect scenario for a team trying to collect heat shield data.
SpaceX could also tow the rocket to the shore for a more thorough inspection, if the splashdown was intact. Starship can be reused, but only after it has been exposed to saltwater.
This is crucial for the refinement of both the heat shield as well as everything else. Huot stated that the good news was “you’re seeing a heat shield which looks pretty intact.” We were at significantly higher dynamic forces, which put a lot more strain on this vehicle as we climbed uphill. And it is still sitting in the water.
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network continued to receive signals from Starship even after the splashdown. The six Raptor engine of Starship were not damaged by the water splashing against its lens.
The test launch on Friday was SpaceX’s 13th Starship flight, atop its Super Heavy booster. It also marked the second of two flights of Starship Version 3, the most powerful rocket in the world.
At 5:51 PM CDT, the 408-foot tall (124-meter), rocket took off at Starbase in Texas. This is a few kilometers north of US-Mexico Border. The Super Heavy booster was powered by 33 Raptor methane engines. They guided the rocket to the east, over the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX had a checklist of Flight 13 but the only item left unchecked was a controlled splashdown for the Super Heavy booster. The booster was to be re-lit for a burn to simulate a landing off the Texas coast, allowing it to perform the maneuvers necessary to bring the booster to its launch pad to recover and reuse.
The Raptor engine failed to start for the landing burn and so the booster crashed into the sea at high speeds. SpaceX had similar problems with splashdown during the May flight. The Friday flight was a step forward, but there is still work to be done on recovering the Super Heavy booster. SpaceX recovered Super Heavy boosters twice with Starship Version 2 but never with Version 3.
SpaceX’s officials posted an update to the website saying that the booster had completed its high-thrust portion of the boostback with all 33 engines for the first time using a Super Heavy engine V3. The burn was then ended early. It attempted to relight the engines before the landing burn. A subset of them ignited successfully, but the booster experienced a splashdown into the Gulf.
Space Success
Starship continued to accelerate into space while the Super Heavy booster descended towards the Gulf. It fired its six engines for more than five minute before starting a coast of a quarter-hour over the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
Starship’s payload bay opened a few minutes after the engine shut down and began deploying 20 Starlink satellites. These satellites, the first upgraded Starlink V3 models from SpaceX with improved throughput and performance, are the most advanced yet. The satellites are larger and heavier, so they won’t fit into SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which is smaller.
Starship released Starlink V3s with its Pez-like deploymenter. They were thrown overboard via a slit like opening in the side of spacecraft. These flat-panel satellites didn’t stay up in the air for very long. The flat-panel satellites did not stay in space for long.
SpaceX’s ground teams were able to establish contact quickly with the satellites via radio and laser links and then “downloaded important telemetry” prior to their destruction. The engineers were able to see the first performance data of Starlink V3s.
After the deployment of satellites was complete, engineers decided to restart one of Raptor’s engines. This is something they had not done on their last flight. The burning lasted for approximately 14 seconds and could be seen by observers in South Africa. SpaceX called the Starship demonstration “core technology for future orbital mission”. Gravity pulled Starship down to Earth.
Starship’s next step is to get into orbit, and then return the vessel to its launch pad. These achievements will allow SpaceX to launch operational Starlink V3 Satellites and unlock higher-speed direct connectivity to devices for the US Military and consumers.
NASA is on the path to orbital refueling with SpaceX’s orbital flight. The demonstration will be crucial for all Starship flights beyond low Earth orbit including NASA’s Artemis Moon missions. NASA has partnered with SpaceX, Blue Origin and Blue Origin in order to create human-rated versions Starship as well as the Blue Moon Lander to transport astronauts from and to the moon surface.

Former Donald Trump top food official, has accused administration of “catastrophic mismanagement” of the outbreak of cyclospora that sickened thousands in US.
Frank Yiannas was the deputy commissioner of food policy for the Food and Drug Administration during the tenures of Presidents Trump and Biden.
Yiannas, a Politico reporter said: “This case deserves to be questioned. It is approaching a catastrophe level when it comes to how it has been mismanaged on many fronts.”
Yiannas stated that there is widespread confusion in the public about cyclosporiasis. This intestinal disease can be caused by the microscopically parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. He said that the “lack” of strong leadership from federal agencies and their mixed messages has compounded this problem.
In the US, the chaotic response has highlighted the efforts to stop the outbreak of cyclospora. The disease has affected more than 4,500 people, and it is believed that thousands more may have been infected.
After initially linking lettuce supplied by Taco Bell supplier Taylor Farms to an outbreak, the FDA reversed its position. Taylor Farms claims that the FDA apologized for the outbreak. The FDA denies this claim.
Federal food regulators still believe there are strong links between Taylor Farms and the outbreak. Taylor Farms has had its lettuce recalled. Robert F Kennedy Jr., US Health Secretary, stated last week that the outbreak is “under control”, despite the FDA expanding its investigation to 7,400 possible cases in nine states.
Yiannas, a FDA employee said: “They went way too fast. They made a big mistake.” They should explain more how it happened, and tell us what steps they will take to avoid it happening again.
Yiannas stated that a review of government response would be better done under the oversight of Congress or by an independent inspector. Yiannas said that the FDA did not respond immediately to this request for an investigation into its actions.

Fuel is the biggest source of economic damage from Iran’s conflict. Diesel is the quiet power that keeps the U.S. economic engine moving. While gas prices are the focus of attention, it quietly drives the heavy machinery, trucks, farm equipment, and freight trains.
Diesel is used in almost every aspect of supply chains, from the food on the shelves at the supermarket to the Amazon packages delivered to your door and even the building materials for new houses. Businesses face increased transportation costs as prices increase. Economists claim that these higher transportation expenses often have a ripple effect on the economy and drive up the price of goods.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, diesel prices have increased from $3.56 per gallon to $5.13 since the Iran Conflict.
According to Department of Energy statistics, a semi-truck with a full load gets only 6-7 miles per gallon of fuel. At current prices, filling the roughly 250-gallon tank can cost over $1280.
Middle East Conflict Could Disrupt Your Summer Plans This Year
We all concentrate on the price of gasoline, because we are consumers, and it is very obvious. What we forget is that diesel is the main fuel of the U.S. Economy, and is especially important for certain sectors,” Bernard Yaros told Fox News Digital.
Yaros expressed concern about recent increases in the price of groceries or food.
Take the food industry for example. The irrigation pumps are powered by diesel, as well as the tractor in the fields and trucks which transport food from your farm to the local supermarket. “It’s part and parcel of the food industry in America.”
‘KEEP A Low Profile’: State Department Warns Americans Overseas They Could Be Targeted
A source in the energy sector, who asked to remain anonymous because they weren’t authorized to talk publicly, stated that the recent surge of diesel shows how geopolitical conflict can rapidly filter through the economy.
The source said that the majority of price changes in the diesel market over the past five months are directly related to the conflict in Iran, and more specifically the closing of the Strait of Hormuz.
Strait of Hormuz is a narrow, waterway that connects Iran, Oman, and United Arab Emirates. It’s one of the most critical energy chokepoints in the world. Approximately 20 million barrels pass through the Strait of Hormuz each day. Disruptions can cause fuel supply to tighten and diesel prices to rise.
Why the Strait of Hormuz matters as Trump issues a fresh ultimatum to Iran
Diesel prices might not return quickly to their pre-conflict level, even if tensions ease in the Middle East.
The source explained that refineries do not process crude instantly. The source said that “a lot of what you fill up your vehicle with today has been refined over a month and a quarter ago, and produced 2 months earlier.”
This means that higher diesel prices can spread through the economy long after crude oil price stabilization. Consumers will continue to pay for more groceries, delivery services, and everyday items, even when headlines about the Middle East fade.

The company had a good year, but the profit was less than half of what it usually is and the cash flowed out. This revealed the true cost to the owners.
Tesla (TSLA), which had surpassed analysts’ expectations for revenue in the second quarter, lost nearly a seventh its value on the following trading day. This was the most obvious sign that investors weren’t trading based on the headlines. The sales came in at around $28,2 billion, which is a significant increase over the $26.2 billion consensus. The earnings came in below analysts’ expectations, at $0.33 per share.
What is the reason for this hard sell-off?
The profit that is generated from this revenue has fallen to a fraction of its former level. The net margin is now 3.7%. This is less than half the average for three years of 8.7%. It’s also about a quarter lower than its 155% peak. According to the company, automotive margins, after subtracting regulatory credits, fell from 19.2% in one quarter to 16.3%. Tesla was the only one to blame: the S&P 500 dropped 1.2% over this period, and RIVN fell 4.2%. GM and F were also down 1.8%, and GM 1.8%.
What is the real story behind a soft quarter?
Spending. The quarter saw a negative free cash flow after capital expenditures more than doubled compared to the previous period. Management expects to spend more in the coming years, with an estimated total of $25 billion. The company is using debt facilities up to $30billion in order to fund its ambitions. Tesla has not made a mistake; this is a conscious decision. The cash is being poured into Optimus and robotaxi as well as AI computing, a solar manufacturing facility, a semiconductor fab, etc., all of which are expensive. The management frames this outlay as one of the highest returns it’s ever pursued on its capital, but those returns are years away while the profits they replace today have gone.
Is a Record Delivered Quarter Worth Owning?
On demand, nothing looks broken. Tesla posted record Q2 delivery, with its largest backlog of orders since 2023. Approximately 55% North American deliveries were accompanied by a FSD subscription, and energy storage deployments increased 53% compared to the previous quarter. The quarter didn’t change the reasons bulls bought Tesla, but it did reshape the bet. The car company’s profit was deliberately reduced to pay for robots and autonomous vehicles, which management has warned will be ramped up slowly. The next quarter’s revenues are not the best indicator of whether this trade has worked. Instead, it is whether or not automotive margins stop sliding and free-cash flow rises above zero. Our buy-the dip screen will tell you whether a drop of this magnitude has tended to be a floor for consumer discretionary bellwethers or trapdoors.
If a stock carries this much of the future, it can be revalued one day.

In the last week, the economy and inflation were at the forefront of the news. The cost of grocery shopping and fuel is higher than last year. This has a direct impact on the purchasing decisions made by both businesses and households.
This is a quick look at the most important economic news and data that have occurred in the last week, and what they could mean for you.
Trump’s tariffs are set to expire and the administration will replace them with new tariffs
Donald Trump has imposed new tariffs of double-digits on U.S. trade partners, just before the deadline for the stopgap measures he had imposed following a crushing Supreme Court defeat.
The United States is imposing a tax of between 10% and 12.5% on the imports of 60 countries that account for 95% of U.S. exports. They claim they are not enforcing their bans against goods made with forced labor.
New tariffs are set to take effect at the same time as 10% temporary tariffs worldwide expire on Friday, 12:01 am. Trump turned to these temporary tariffs after his most aggressive and largest tariffs were struck down by the Supreme Court in February.
Gas prices are also on the rise, with one gallon of gas reaching $4.
The price of crude oil in the world jumped above $100 per barrel for the first two-month period this week, and the cost of gasoline in the U.S. also increased sharply.
U.S. gasoline prices rose to over $4 per gallon on Monday, and they continued rising throughout the rest of the week. This was due to the U.S. and Iran launching more attacks.
The motor club association AAA reported that the average national price for regular gasoline was $4.11 last Friday. This is almost $1 more than it was at this point last year, and 12 cents higher than last week.
Some states charge drivers more than $4 per gallon. The price of gasoline varies between states because different factors are involved, from the supply in the area to tax rates.
US unemployment benefits are at their lowest levels in over five years
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to its lowest level in over five decades, as the rate of layoffs remains historically low.
Labor Department data released on Thursday shows that the number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits during the week ended July 18 decreased by 22,000, to 187,000. According to Labor Department statistics, this is the lowest number of applications for a single week since the end of the 1969-70 fiscal year.
The number of new applications is also far below what analysts polled by FactSet, a data company, predicted.
The weekly filing of unemployment claims is a good proxy for layoffs, and it’s a close indicator to the state of the U.S. labor market.
The average 30-year US mortgage rates has risen to its highest level for nearly a full year
This week, the average U.S. long-term mortgage rate rose to its highest in almost 12 months. Rising oil prices have already squeezed household budgets.
Freddie Mac, a mortgage purchaser, announced Thursday that the benchmark rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages rose from 6.55% to 6.58% last week. The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage was 6.94% a year ago.
Three weeks running, the rate is higher. Mortgage rates that are higher can increase monthly costs by hundreds of dollars, which limits the purchasing power of homebuyers. Rates rising can cause prospective buyers to put off buying a house, which is one of the reasons why U.S. sales are lagging this year.
This week, the cost of borrowing on fixed rate mortgages for 15 years, which are often used by refinancing home loans, has also increased. This average rate rose to 5,96%, up from 5.93% the previous week. Freddie Mac reported that the rate was 5.87% a year ago.
Wall Street fell this week as uncertainty prevailed
The U.S. market declined last week. Stocks were mixed in the final trading day.
After posting positive results for the quarter, a number of well-known companies have fallen, including Tesla, Google and American Airlines. Problems ranged from increased spending to cautious expectations for the remainder of the year.
The Middle East is also a hotbed of violence that threatens to slow down the flow of gas and oil around the world.
Brent crude, which is the benchmark for international crude oil, and U.S. crude have both risen this week. Brent crude traded at around $72 a barrel before the Iran War began late in February.
Ford Recalls Another Model
Ford Motor Co. has recalled over half a milllion Broncos due to a wiring harness that can cause a short-circuit in the engine bay and raise the fire risk.
Ford has announced that the recall includes 565,691 Ford Broncos, Bronco Raptors and model years 2021-2026. Automaker Ford estimates around 1% have the defect in wiring harness. Ford has said that it does not know of any accidents or injuries relating to this issue.
Insufficient wiring protection can cause exposed wires or short-circuits.
Detroit’s automaker has recalled more cars than any other manufacturer this year.