SpaceX’s Starship aces 10th flight with satellite deployment and splashdown

After months of setbacks and aborted missions, SpaceX finally scored a crucial win with its Starship megarocket. The 10th test flight marked the company’s most successful trial yet, reaching several milestones that had eluded earlier attempts.

The giant rocket lifted off from Starbase in southern Texas at 6:30 p.m. local time, standing tall at 403 feet and drawing loud cheers from engineering teams watching the live webcast.

For the first time in months, the launch proceeded smoothly. Stage separation occurred without issue, and the 232-foot Super Heavy booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, as planned.

Unlike past flights where the booster was caught using the launch tower’s massive arms, this mission was focused on testing alternate landing methods and gathering valuable flight data.

SpaceX has long faced questions about the reliability of Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket. Recent attempts had ended in explosions, both in the atmosphere and on the ground, shaking confidence in Elon Musk’s vision of Mars colonization. This mission, however, provided the kind of progress the company needed.

Starship deploys payloads in space

One of the most celebrated moments came at the 18-minute mark of the mission. Starship opened its bay doors and released mock Starlink satellites into orbit for the very first time.

The deployment system worked like a giant Pez dispenser, pushing out each satellite one by one at roughly one-minute intervals. The satellites were test units, designed to burn up harmlessly in Earth’s atmosphere after reentry.

This was a key demonstration for SpaceX, showing that Starship could function as a cargo delivery vehicle. In earlier missions, this step was either skipped or ended in failure. The success marks a turning point for the program, especially as Starship is expected to play a central role in deploying next-generation satellite constellations.

Another achievement came when Starship reignited one of its vacuum-optimized Raptor engines about 38 minutes into the flight. It was only the second time this maneuver had been attempted and completed successfully, adding another building block toward making the rocket fully reusable.

Starship’s tenth flight test pushed the limits and provided maximum excitement along the way → https://t.co/UIwbeGoo2B pic.twitter.com/W6fH3GCwuP

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 27, 2025

Surviving the Heat of Reentry

Reentry has always been the most punishing phase for Starship, with past flights ending in catastrophic failure. On this mission, SpaceX deliberately pushed the rocket to its limits by testing new heat shield materials under extreme conditions.

Engineers referred to the process as being “mean to the spaceship,” with the goal of identifying weaknesses before future crewed missions.

At about 45 minutes into the flight, Starship began its fiery plunge back to Earth. Its rear flaps, designed to control descent, were subjected to stress testing. One flap showed heavy scarring, a sign of the extreme heat it endured. Despite these challenges, Starship survived the ordeal.

The upper stage executed a flip maneuver before performing a landing burn, splashing down softly in the Indian Ocean at 8:37 p.m. ET. The spacecraft then exploded in a fireball, but by that point the mission’s goals had already been achieved. A nearby buoy camera captured the dramatic ending, providing engineers with valuable footage.

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

What comes next for Starship

This was the 10th flight of the Starship system, and the third attempt in as many days after earlier launches were called off. It was also the first to show clear progress on several fronts, including heat shield durability, payload deployment, and engine reignition.

SpaceX chose not to attempt a catch of the Super Heavy booster on this mission. Instead, the booster was used for in-flight experiments to gather performance data on different flight profiles and scenarios.

These tests are essential to refining the rocket’s reusable design, which is central to SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s vision of sending humans to Mars and helping NASA return astronauts to the Moon.

The mission demonstrated that Starship can now function as a delivery vehicle, survive portions of reentry, and perform complex engine maneuvers. For a rocket that had suffered a string of explosive failures, this success could not have come at a better time.

Still, experts caution that a single successful test does not guarantee smooth progress ahead. Starship remains the most powerful launch system ever built, but it must undergo many more flights before becoming operational. The road to Mars is long, and SpaceX knows that every milestone will count.