Starship Flight 11 Achieves New Milestones in Return, Reentry and Landing Performance

SpaceX has completed its eleventh integrated flight test of Starship, marking another step forward in the development of the world’s most powerful and fully reusable launch system.

Launched from Starbase, Texas, the flight enabled the Starship’s Super Heavy booster and upper stage to achieve critical test objectives, including controlled descent and landing burns – milestones that bring SpaceX closer to fully reusable orbital operations.

The Super Heavy booster successfully executed a rollback and soft splashdown in the Gulf of America, while Starship continued to orbit, performing a targeted reentry that tested its heat shield and aerodynamic control surfaces. Starship then performed a precision landing and landed intact in the Indian Ocean – a first for the program.

SpaceX confirmed that the vehicle demonstrated improved stability, refined Raptor engine performance, and improved thermal protection system durability during the high-energy re-entry phase. Data from this flight will inform future missions, including lunar and Martian vehicle configurations.

Starship’s growing success demonstrates increased potential for collaboration, payload integration, and access to deep space missions. The heavy platform will support future science, lunar resources and satellite deployment projects aligned with NASA’s Artemis and commercial exploration goals.

As SpaceX moves closer to full reusability, Starship continues to redefine the global launch economy and the possibilities for the next generation of spaceflight.

Image – Launch of SpaceX Starship Flight 11 – Credit: SpaceX