SpaceX Successfully Completes 11th Starship Test Flight from Starbase, Achieving All Objectives

Historic Launch from Starbase, Texas

On Monday, October 13, 2025, at 6:23 p.m. CT (23:23 UTC), SpaceX successfully launched the eleventh test flight of its fully integrated Super Heavy-Starship rocket from Starbase, Texas. The mission, involving Booster 15 and Ship 38, marked a significant milestone as the final flight of the second-generation Starship and first-generation Super Heavy booster, as well as the last launch from the current configuration of Pad 1.

Comprehensive Test Objectives Achieved

SpaceX reported that 'Every major objective of the flight test was achieved,' providing crucial data for the development of next-generation vehicles. The flight built upon the successful demonstrations of the tenth flight test, focusing on several key areas.

• Super Heavy Performance: The Super Heavy booster successfully ignited all 33 Raptor engines for ascent and performed a hot-staging maneuver. It then completed its boostback burn and executed a unique landing burn, hovering above the water before a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. This included testing a new 13-5-3 engine configuration for the landing burn.
• Starship Upper Stage: The Starship upper stage achieved its planned velocity and trajectory. It successfully deployed eight Starlink simulators and performed the third in-space relight of a Raptor engine, a critical capability for future deorbit burns.
• Re-entry and Landing: Starship gathered extensive data on the performance of its heatshield, which was intentionally stressed by removing tiles to test the limits of the vehicle's capabilities during re-entry. It also performed a dynamic banking maneuver to mimic trajectories for future missions returning to Starbase. The flight concluded with Starship guiding itself to a pre-planned soft splashdown zone in the Indian Ocean, successfully executing a landing flip and burn.

Paving the Way for Future Space Exploration

The entire flight lasted just over an hour, with the Starship splashdown occurring approximately 66 minutes after liftoff. This successful mission is a critical step in SpaceX's ambitious plans, including NASA's Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon and SpaceX's long-term goal of landing humans on Mars. The data collected from this flight will directly inform the development of the upgraded Version 3 Starship, slated for its debut in early 2026.