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On August 26, 2025, SpaceX finally pushed its Starship system through a full, ambitious test flight that many in the space-community had long awaited. After a series of earlier mishaps and scrapped attempts, the tenth integrated flight test marked a turning point: the vehicle performed a full-duration ascent burn, reached its planned velocity, deployed test payloads, and survived a fiery reentry before splashing down as intended.

The flight began from Starbase, Texas, with the Super Heavy booster igniting all 33 Raptor engines for launch. After climbing to altitude, Starship’s upper stage (Ship 37) separated and ignited its six engines, continuing on a suborbital trajectory.

During its coast phase, it deployed eight Starlink simulator payloads—marking the first time Starship successfully released a mock satellite mass during a test flight.

The upper stage also accomplished a Raptor engine relight in space, a key demonstration for future deorbit or orbit-raising maneuvers.

As the vehicle reentered Earth’s atmosphere, Starship faced some stress and damage—particularly in the aft skirt and in sections of its heat-shield and flaps.

Despite these challenges, the spacecraft managed a controlled “flip” maneuver, guiding itself nose-first toward the splashdown zone in the Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile, the booster executed a series of burns to reverse course, though it intentionally disabled one of its center engines during the landing burn as part of testing engine-out capability. It hovered briefly over the water before cutting engines and splashing in the Gulf of Mexico, where it broke up on impact.

While not perfect, Flight 10 delivered on many of its critical test objectives. The mission pushed Starship closer to full reusability, validated maneuvers needed for future missions, and restored confidence in the system after earlier failures.

The success of payload deployment and engine relighting in space stand out as especially important steps for upcoming missions to orbit and beyond. Challenges remain—especially refining heat-shield durability, improving structural margins during reentry, and achieving consistent booster recoveries. But the trajectory is now clearer: if the lessons from Flight 10 are applied well, Starship may well be on its way to realizing SpaceX’s goals for lunar, Martian, and deep-space missions.

Video credit: SpaceX