SpaceX launched its Starship Super Heavy rocket on its much-anticipated 11th flight, continuing the company’s campaign to create fully reusable launch vehicles.
Moments after liftoff, the Starship separated from the Super Heavuy rocket, which the company calls hot staging. The rocket then, as planned, crashed in the Gulf of Mexico.
As the world watched, the flight delivered both technical advancements and dramatic setbacks, marking a new chapter for the heavy-lift system that aims to power missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Super Heavy’s Dramatic End
Shortly after liftoff from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas, the Super Heavy booster successfully separated from the Starship upper stage and began its descent towards a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
The world’s most powerful rocket crashed into the waters rather than completing a soft touchdown as planned. This ended Super Heavy’s journey but offered SpaceX valuable real-world data on engine restarts and descent manoeuvres, critical to the development of rapid reusability for future launches.
Despite the crash, the flight still marked a major technical demonstration. The booster tested a more redundant landing sequence, starting with 13 engines, then switching to five, and finally hovering above the ocean on three engines.
These steps, even if not perfectly executed, inform future booster recovery attempts and guide design improvements.
Starship’s Ongoing Mission
Meanwhile, Starship continued its mission, deploying eight dummy Starlink satellites in suborbital space and conducting a challenging in-space engine relight.
The upper stage performed dynamic flight maneuvers on its way to splash down in the Indian Ocean, as planned.
The splashdown location allowed SpaceX to test new guidance systems and heat shield stress points due to intentionally removed tiles, simulating future orbital returns and reusability requirements.
Despite Super Heavy’s setback, the 11th test flight shows SpaceX’s commitment to rapid innovation, pushing the boundaries of space technology with every launch.
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