Epic new video from this week’s Starship launch present’s the large spacecraft’s remaining moments simply earlier than it splashed down within the Indian ocean.
Starship lifted off on its eleventh take a look at flight Monday, Oct. 13, from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas. It was the ultimate launch of the present, 397-foot-tall (121-meter-tall) model of the Tremendous Heavy booster and Ship higher stage; a taller variant is ready to debut on Starship flight 12.
Much like Starship’s tenth flight, Flight Check 11 was a whole success, and even fared higher than its predecessor, which took extra bodily harm throughout its descent again by way of Earth’s environment. SpaceX posted new footage from Monday’s mission that makes that even clearer, exhibiting considerably much less misery to the car, in comparison with Flight 10, and much much less discoloration to the spacecraft’s heatshield.
Flight Check 11 achieved all of its mission targets, from launch to booster descent and splashdown within the Gulf, and Ship’s profitable splashdown within the Indian Ocean. It was the second launch for the flight’s Tremendous Heavy booster. It is also the second take a look at flight in a row that Starship has completed all SpaceX hoped it could, and a optimistic step ahead within the rocket’s growth.
The spacecraft managed, once again, to deploy a stack of eight simulated Starlink satellites, and successfully initiated a Raptor engine relight while in space. But this week’s launch diverted from Flight 10’s mission profile with variations in some of the vehicle’s engine burn profiles — performed in preparation for the rocket’s upgraded version 3.
Final descent and splashdown of Starship on Flight 11, captured by the SpaceX recovery team in the Indian Ocean pic.twitter.com/TzvFnf8Z6dOctober 14, 2025
The higher stage’s touchdown burn, particularly, differed from its earlier flight, and this time mimicked the strategy it’ll want for a return to its launch website, the place the rocket’s launch tower is designed to catch and safe Starship throughout its touchdown burn midair.
SpaceX cameras secured to drones and buoys captured Starship’s descent by way of the clouds in crystal clear element. The video tracks the car because it initiated its novel flip-and-burn touchdown maneuver that transitions Starship from a ‘bellyflop’ place to an upright orientation, as its engines oriented the car and slowed its momentum.
