SpaceX launched Starship for its tenth test flight on August 26, 2025. The team scheduled the liftoff after fixing technical problems and waiting for the weather to clear.
Starship used the Super Heavy booster with 33 raptor engines. One engine turned off during ascent, but the rocket kept climbing. After stage separation, Super Heavy flipped and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico. There was no catch attempt; the impact caused an explosion, which was expected.
Super Heavy has splashed down in the Gulf pic.twitter.com/LGozUAmLt8
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 26, 2025
Starship continued flying after separation. About 20 minutes later, it deployed eight Starlink simulator satellites using a pez dispenser-type system.
Open the pod bay door, HAL
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 26, 2025
Starship deploying @Starlink simulator sats pic.twitter.com/3CSOyulzcJ
The satellites were not active; they will burn up on reentry. This drop was Starship’s first payload operation. Starship also restarted a raptor engine in space.
Reentry and final landing
Starship reentered and faced extreme heating. The team removed some heat tiles and tested new skirt and flap designs. Some damage showed up, including skirt breakage and melting of a control flap, but Starship stayed on course. After an hour, it performed a landing burn and splashed down in the Indian Ocean. A camera on a buoy recorded the landing and the explosion.
Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting tenth flight test of Starship! pic.twitter.com/5sbSPBRJBP
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 27, 2025
The last three Starship flights failed from explosions or loss of control. The program had a ground test accident in June 2025. This time, Starship lasted the full flight, sent back engine data, and hit new targets.
SpaceX plans another flight in about eight weeks after reviewing this test’s data. The team will work on reentry, engine restart, and payload delivery. These steps matter for NASA’s lunar program using Starship. A new Block 3 model with better engines and shields is already being built.
Starship proved that key systems work. SpaceX is improving heat shields and engines with each flight. These launches are the route to reusable rockets for space missions.
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