SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) could blast off if its Starship Flight 13 launch meets its objectives, according to UBS, which believes the mission could mark another important milestone in the company’s launch program.
UBS analyst Gavin Parsons added that the upcoming test flight is expected to showcase several technological improvements that could strengthen investor confidence in SPCX’s long-term growth prospects. “SpaceX has made multiple hardware and software upgrades since the last flight,” Parsons wrote. “This flight would demonstrate multiple new milestones and, in our view, be a positive for the stock.”
UBS maintained its buy rating on SpaceX shares and reiterated its $210 price target.
Success Could Send SpaceX to the Moon
The highly anticipated mission, known as Starship Flight 13, is scheduled to launch Thursday and is expected to test several critical technologies needed to advance the Starship program. According to Parsons, a successful mission would support UBS’ forecast that SPCX will complete four commercial Starship launches this year before dramatically increasing launch frequency over the coming years.
The bank projects SPCX could conduct as many as 1,588 launches annually by 2031, highlighting the scale of the company’s long-term ambitions as it seeks to transform access to space through rapid, fully reusable rockets.
“Flight 13 is important because it is intended to validate some of the key capabilities required for this launch ramp, including booster engine relight reliability, in-space Raptor relight, Starlink V3 satellite deployment, and continued heat shield development,” Parsons added.
Why The Mission Matters
Reliable booster engine relights are necessary for recovering and reusing launch vehicles, a cornerstone of SPCXX’s strategy to lower launch costs and increase flight frequency. Demonstrating that the booster can consistently restart its engines during descent is viewed as a critical requirement for routine operations.
Restarting engines in orbit is necessary for a wide range of missions, including orbital maneuvering, satellite deployment, lunar missions, and eventual crewed flights to Mars. Successfully completing this objective would mark another important step toward making Starship a fully operational deep-space transportation system.
Another closely watched objective will be the deployment of Starlink V3 satellites. The next-generation satellites are expected to provide substantially greater network capacity and improved performance compared with previous versions, allowing SpaceX to expand its rapidly growing satellite internet business.
Engineers will also continue testing improvements to Starship’s heat shield, which protects the spacecraft during its fiery return through Earth’s atmosphere. Heat shield performance has remained one of the program’s biggest technical challenges, with SpaceX using data gathered from each test flight to refine the durability and design of its thermal protection system.
Analysts are Still Bullish
Despite the recent pullback in the SPCX stock, analysts such as Parsons continue to view the shares favorably, arguing that successful execution of the Starship program could unlock significant long-term growth opportunities.
A successful mission today would not only demonstrate meaningful technical progress but could also reinforce confidence that SpaceX remains on track to expand commercial launch operations over the coming years. For investors, the outcome could potentially serve as the next substantial catalyst for SPCX upside.
