SpaceX launches 11th test flight of its mega Starship rocket

"SpaceX launched another of its mammoth Starship rockets on a test flight Monday, striving to make it halfway around the world while releasing mock satellites like last time. Starship the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built thundered into the evening sky from the southern tip of Texas. The booster peeled away and made a controlled entry into the Gulf of Mexico as planned, with the spacecraft skimming space before descending toward the Indian Ocean."

"It was the 11th test flight for a full-scale Starship, which SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk intends to use to send people to Mars. NASA's need is more immediate. The space agency cannot land astronauts on the moon by decade's end without the 403-foot (123-meter) Starship, the reusable vehicle meant to get them from lunar orbit down to the surface and back up."

"The previous test flight in August a success after a string of explosive failures followed a similar path with similar goals. More maneuvering was built in this time, especially for the spacecraft. SpaceX planned a series of tests during the spacecraft's entry over the Indian Ocean as practice for future landings back at the launch site. Like before, Starship carried up eight mock satellites mimicking SpaceX's Starlinks. The entire flight was meant to last just over an hour, originating from Starbase near the Mexican border."

SpaceX launched its mammoth Starship on a test flight aiming to travel halfway around the globe while releasing eight mock satellites mimicking Starlinks. The booster separated and executed a planned controlled reentry into the Gulf of Mexico, while the spacecraft skimmed space and descended toward the Indian Ocean; no hardware was recovered. The mission marked the 11th full-scale Starship test intended for crewed Mars missions and to serve as NASA’s 403-foot reusable lunar lander. Additional maneuvering capability was added for the spacecraft, with planned reentry tests as practice for future landings. The flight lasted just over an hour from Starbase near the Mexican border, and Cape Canaveral is being modified to accommodate Starships.

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