SpaceX is gearing up for the Starship Flight 11 launch on October 13 from its Starbase facility in South Texas. This mission will be the final flight of Starship’s current Version 2 design before upgrades are applied for the next iteration. The launch window opens at 7:15 p.m. EDT (2315 GMT), and the mission will be streamed live. The test follows August’s successful demonstration, which validated both the booster and upper stage systems.
Flight 11 Mission Details
Flight 11 will closely follow the Flight 10 profile, with Super Heavy targeting a Gulf of Mexico splashdown and the upper-stage Ship aiming for the Indian Ocean. The vehicle will carry eight dummy Starlink satellites while deliberately stress-testing heat-shield tiles. Additionally, the booster will attempt a new five-engine landing burn configuration, enhancing redundancy for future flights. The mission will reuse the same Super Heavy booster flown in March, with 24 of its 33 Raptor engines already proven. This demonstrates SpaceX’s ongoing push toward rapid reusability.
Starship Growth and Future Plans
Standing nearly 400 feet tall, Starship is the world’s largest and most powerful rocket. Flight 12 will feature Version 3, slightly taller with further planned enhancements. These improvements aim to strengthen Starship’s capabilities for future Mars missions and support long-term interplanetary goals.
