SpaceX successfully conducted the 10th test flight of its Starship rocket on Tuesday, achieving significant milestones after previous setbacks. The launch occurred from Starbase, SpaceX’s facility at 7:30 p.m. ET, following two earlier postponements this week.
The massive 403-foot vehicle ascended using its 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines. Approximately three minutes after liftoff, the Super Heavy booster successfully separated from the Starship upper stage. This separation marked the beginning of distinct test objectives for each stage of the rocket.
During its descent, the Super Heavy booster underwent a new engine shutdown and transition maneuver. This involved intentionally shutting down the primary landing engines and switching to backup engines. The purpose of this test was to evaluate the booster’s performance during potential engine failures. According to SpaceX, the test proceeded as planned, culminating in a targeted splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico for the 232-foot-tall booster.
Simultaneously, the Starship upper stage reached space. For the first time in a Starship flight, the upper stage successfully opened its payload door, described as “Pez-style,” and deployed eight Starlink mass simulator satellites. This capability had been planned for previous missions but had not been successfully demonstrated until this flight.
Furthermore, SpaceX successfully reignited one of the Raptor engines in space. Following this engine relight, the Starship upper stage was guided toward the Indian Ocean. The vehicle splashed down, subsequently tipped over, and exploded, as part of the controlled test parameters.
Notably, during its descent, the Starship’s exterior experienced extreme heat during atmospheric reentry. This provided a crucial testing environment for the upgraded thermal protection system. SpaceX also conducted experiments on the Starship’s “skin” during reentry, including deliberately removing tiles from specific sections to observe performance. These tests included evaluating a new metallic tile and an actively cooled tile.
SpaceX reported that the upper stage completed the entire test sequence and maintained communication with SpaceX engineers until splashdown in the Indian Ocean. In contrast, the previous flight experienced a loss of attitude control during the coast phase, preventing the payload doors from opening. The company indicated that engineers successfully addressed these prior issues.
