We have a lift-off! - SpaceX hits key milestone at Starship's 11th test flight before upgraded prototype debut

We have a lift-off! - SpaceX hits key milestone at Starship's 11th test flight before upgraded prototype debut

"SpaceX's Starship completed its 11th test flight on Monday from the company's Starbase site in South Texas, the final test before a new, upgraded version of the rocket begins launch trials for future Moon and Mars missions. Footage shows Starship being launched from the SpaceX facility, as well as the booster separating before it landed in the ocean. The rocket lifted off just after 18:25 local time (23:25 GMT), with the Starship upper stage stacked atop its Super Heavy booster. After propelling the upper stage toward space, the booster made a controlled descent into the Gulf of Mexico about seven minutes after lift-off. The upper stage later splashed down in the Indian Ocean as planned. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy called the mission "another major step toward landing Americans on the Moon's south pole." SpaceX said upcoming tests will feature an advanced Starship prototype equipped with upgrades designed for longer missions. "This is really the vehicle that could take humans to the Moon and Mars," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said at a conference in Paris last month. Earlier Starship tests had ended in explosive failures, but the program found success at a test flight in August. Monday's test followed a similar profile and carried mock Starlink satellites. However, this latest flight included more complex manoeuvres to test the spacecraft's capabilities. NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon, relies on a modified Starship as its lunar lander for the Artemis III mission planned for mid-2027."