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Starship Deploys Satellites, Survives Fiery Reentry in Milestone Test Flight
27 Aug
Summary
- Starship completes 10th test flight, deploys Starlink satellites
- Booster splashes down, ship relights engine in space during reentry
- SpaceX intentionally stresses Starship to gather critical data
On August 26th, just a month ago, SpaceX's massive Starship rocket took to the skies for its 10th test flight out of Texas. This time, the mission was a success, marking a significant milestone for the program.
The 33-engine Super Heavy booster lifted the Starship spacecraft into the air, with the booster ultimately splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico as planned. Meanwhile, the Starship coasted in orbit, opening its payload bay doors and deploying a series of mockup Starlink satellites - the first payload deployment for the vehicle.
Roughly 38 minutes into the flight, the Starship also managed to relight one of its engines while in space, a critical capability for a controlled reentry. However, upon reentry, the rear "skirt" of the spacecraft did experience some damage, which SpaceX says was intentional as they were "putting the ship through the wringer" to gather important data.
Despite the fiery reentry, the Starship ultimately splashed down in the Indian Ocean about an hour into the flight. While the landing resulted in the vehicle bursting into flames, SpaceX considers the overall mission a success, as it hit all of its major milestones.
With this test flight under its belt, SpaceX is one step closer to realizing its vision of a fully reusable launch system that could drastically reduce the cost of accessing space. The company is now reviewing the data gathered from this latest Starship mission as it prepares for the vehicle's maiden uncrewed voyage to Mars, targeted for late 2026.
