SpaceX completed a successful test flight of its Starship rocket on Friday evening, moving the company closer to more ambitious milestones in the months ahead.
The launch marked the 13th flight for Starship overall but was only the second for Version 3, which incorporates several design modifications aimed at enhancing performance and reliability. According to SpaceX, nearly all mission objectives were met, including addressing issues from the previous May test, deploying Starlink internet satellites, and achieving a water landing in the Indian Ocean.
“We’re really pumped about this,” said Kate Tice, a SpaceX webcast host, following the gentle water touchdown.
Unlike an aborted attempt eight days prior, all 33 engines on Starship’s Super Heavy booster ignited during Friday’s flight. The 407-foot-tall rocket launched at 6:51 p.m. Eastern time from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas, near Brownsville.
Starship comprises two stages: the Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage spacecraft, commonly referred to as Ship. Both are designed for full reusability, a capability that could significantly lower the cost of launching satellites into space.
During the mission, the booster stage attempted a simulated landing over the Gulf of Mexico, though the process was not entirely successful. The vehicle impacted the water while still descending at speed rather than hovering before touchdown.
In space, the upper-stage Ship deployed 20 operational, next-generation Starlink satellites. Earlier tests used dummy satellites to validate the deployment mechanism, which resembles a large Pez dispenser, releasing payloads sequentially. Once deployed, the satellites unfurled their solar arrays and antennas, connecting to the broader Starlink constellation via laser communications.
The Ship stage also restarted one of its engines for 14 seconds—a critical capability demonstrated prior to Starship’s first orbital flight. This function will be necessary for safely deorbiting the spacecraft, preventing potential debris from impacting populated areas.
All Starship flights to date follow trajectories that re-enter the atmosphere above the Indian Ocean after traveling halfway around the globe. During this mission, the Starlink satellites traveled along a suborbital path and similarly burned up upon re-entry just 20 minutes after deployment.
Before burning up, six satellites equipped with cameras scanned Starship’s heat shield, recording how well the thermal protection system performed under extreme temperatures.
The upper-stage Ship survived its fiery atmospheric re-entry. Off the coast of Australia, it decelerated and simulated a vertical landing orientation. Unlike earlier attempts, the vehicle did not explode upon water impact.
“This is the first time we’ve put an intact Starship in the water,” noted Dan Huot, another SpaceX webcast host, adding that onboard cameras continued transmitting video footage: “just a little bit surreal.”
He concluded, “Wow, lucky No. 13 — hell of a flight for Starship.”
If performance data confirms no major obstacles, SpaceX can advance to more demanding objectives: achieving Earth orbit, returning the upper stage to Texas, and catching it on the launch tower—as has been done with the booster.
Starship plays a crucial role in NASA’s lunar exploration program. SpaceX must deliver a Starship variant capable of transporting astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon’s surface. However, development timelines have exceeded initial projections.
To support lunar missions, SpaceX must demonstrate several firsts. These include conducting multiple Starship launches in rapid succession, as the lunar lander version will require propellant refueling in low Earth orbit. Additionally, transferring ultra-cold liquid methane and liquid oxygen between two spacecraft in space has yet to be proven.
The successful test may enhance investor confidence in SpaceX, which plans to deploy up to one million data center satellites. The company went public in June, debuting at $135 per share and peaking at $225.64—up 67 percent—before falling to $115.07 by week’s end.
