Starship’s 11th Flight Test Scheduled by SpaceX for Monday

Essential Points

• Launch Timing: The 11th flight test of the Starship megarocket is scheduled for October 13 at 7:15 PM ET.
• Payload Deployment: This flight aims to deploy eight Starlink simulators once again following a successful test in August.
• Booster Details: The flight will utilize a previously flown Super Heavy booster, equipped with 24 flight-proven Raptor engines.
• Recovery Plan: Unlike previous attempts, SpaceX will not recover the booster, which is expected to land in the Gulf of Mexico.

SpaceX is gearing up for the 11th flight test of its Starship megarocket, which will launch from its Starbase in Texas as early as Monday. The launch window opens on October 13 at 7:15 PM ET. You’ll be able to watch live starting 30 minutes before liftoff on the SpaceX website and on X. 

Starship’s latest flight follows a successful test at the end of August, during which it deployed a payload — eight dummy Starlink satellites — in space for the first time following a failed attempt earlier in the year. The company is aiming to carry out another payload demonstration for flight 11, again using eight Starlink simulators. For this flight, SpaceX is using a previously flown Super Heavy booster, with 24 of its 33 Raptor engines being flight-proven. The goals this time around include “flight experiments gathering data for the next generation Super Heavy booster, stress-testing Starship’s heatshield, and demonstrating maneuvers that will mimic the upper stage’s final approach for a future return to launch site.”

SpaceX won’t attempt to catch Super Heavy in its “chopsticks” back at the launch site this time. The booster is instead expected to end up in the Gulf of Mexico, while Starship will splash down in the Indian Ocean.