SpaceX Starship launches, deploys satellites, and achieves improved ocean splashdown

SpaceX launched its colossal Starship rocket on Friday for another test flight, successfully deploying 20 of its latest Starlink satellites during a journey that stretched halfway around the globe. The 407-foot (124-meter) rocket lifted off from the company's Texas launch site.

This flight is a critical step for NASA's Artemis program, which aims to use Starship as a lunar lander. The mission concluded with a remarkably gentle splashdown in the Indian Ocean, where the spacecraft remained afloat as the SpaceX webcast ended, eliciting cheers from employees. This marks a significant improvement over previous attempts, where engine failures and uncontrolled descents into the Gulf of Mexico occurred.

SpaceX had replaced six engines on the first-stage booster following issues in the previous week's launch abort. While all engines fired successfully at liftoff this time, not enough reignited for a controlled booster return. The Starship spacecraft, however, continued its eastward trajectory, releasing the Starlinks at an altitude of 124 miles (200 kilometers) before reentering the atmosphere.

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We're really pumped about this.

This was the 13th flight of the Starship rocket and the second this year for the V3 version. Neither the booster nor the spacecraft were intended for recovery, both designed to plunge into the sea. The stainless steel spacecraft achieved an upright hover over the Indian Ocean before descending into the water, over 10,000 miles from its launch point. SpaceX described it as their best reentry yet, with the booster intact despite some residual flames.

During reentry, six of the newly deployed Starlinks captured images of Starship's heat shield, transmitting clear photos even as the spacecraft bobbed in the ocean. The heat shield also contained sensors to measure extreme pressures. Some thermal tiles were painted white to simulate missing ones, testing the shield's resilience. Elon Musk expressed satisfaction on X, stating, "We got all the heat shield data we needed and then some!" NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman also offered congratulations.

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We got all the heat shield data we needed and then some!