SpaceX Successfully Completes 11th Starship Test Flight with Controlled Ocean Landing

Elon Musk's SpaceX successfully launched its eleventh Starship rocket from Starbase, Texas on Monday, completing another critical test in the development of the world's largest spacecraft.

The mammoth Starship rocket, currently the biggest and most powerful ever constructed, lifted off impressively from Texas's southern tip. Following the planned flight sequence, the booster made a controlled descent into the Gulf of Mexico while the spacecraft continued its journey, releasing mock satellites before eventually landing in the Indian Ocean.

SpaceX confirmed the successful splashdown via their social media channels, celebrating another achievement in Starship's development program. The company shared footage of the mission with the caption: "Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting eleventh flight test of Starship!"

"Hey, welcome back to Earth, Starship," announced SpaceX's Dan Huot as employees celebrated the achievement. "What a day."

This test marks the 11th flight for the full-scale Starship, which represents a crucial component of both SpaceX founder Elon Musk's Mars ambitions and NASA's Artemis lunar program. The 403-foot (123-meter) reusable vehicle is essential for NASA's plans to return astronauts to the moon before the decade ends, designed to transport them between lunar orbit and the surface.

Unlike previous launches where he remained in Launch Control, Musk shared that he watched this test from outside for a "much more visceral" experience.

Building on August's successful test flight, this mission incorporated additional maneuvering objectives, particularly for the spacecraft component. SpaceX engineers implemented a series of entry tests over the Indian Ocean, gathering valuable data for future landing operations at the launch site.

Similar to the previous mission, Starship carried eight mock Starlink satellites. The entire flight operation lasted just over one hour, launching from the Starbase facility near the Mexican border.

NASA's acting administrator Sean Duffy praised the progress, describing it via social media as "Another major step toward landing Americans on the moon's south pole."

Beyond its Texas operations, SpaceX is currently modifying its Cape Canaveral launch facilities to accommodate Starship vehicles, expanding beyond the smaller Falcon rockets currently used for NASA's International Space Station missions.