Starship Flight 11: SpaceX targets October 13 for next megarocket launch

SpaceX Gears Up for Starship Flight 11 on October 13 (Image: SpaceX)

SpaceX’s most powerful rocket is ready to return to the skies this month. The company plans to launch Starship Flight 11 on October 13, aiming to push the limits of its reusable spaceflight ambitions before shifting to the next generation of the rocket.

When will Starship take off and what will it test?
The flight is scheduled to lift off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas. The launch window will open at 7:15 p.m. EDT (2315 GMT), with a live webcast starting 30 minutes earlier. This will be the final mission of Starship’s “Version 2” design before SpaceX moves on to the larger Version 3 model.

Flight 11 will follow a similar profile to the successful Flight 10 on August 26. During that mission, the Super Heavy booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, while the upper stage, known as Ship, landed in the Indian Ocean after deploying eight mock Starlink satellites. Ship will repeat this task on Flight 11 and deploy another batch of dummy payloads. Engineers will also remove some heat-shield tiles to stress-test specific parts of the spacecraft during re-entry.

How is SpaceX improving Super Heavy and Starship design?
The upcoming flight will test several upgrades designed for future missions. Super Heavy will attempt a new landing sequence, firing five of its 33 Raptor engines to control its descent. The current method uses three engines, but the updated approach will offer greater safety in case of engine shutdowns. This five-engine landing technique will become standard for Version 3 boosters.

This launch will also mark the second use of the same Super Heavy booster, which previously flew during Flight 8 in March. SpaceX confirmed that 24 of its 33 engines have already been used in earlier missions. Reusability is a key part of Starship’s design, with both stages eventually planned to return to Starbase for capture by giant “chopstick” arms on the launch tower.

What is next for the Starship programme?
Starship, consisting of the Super Heavy booster and the Ship upper stage, is designed to support SpaceX’s long-term goal of sending humans to Mars. At nearly 400 feet tall, the current version is the most powerful rocket ever built. The next iteration, Version 3, will stand at 408 feet, while a future Version 4, expected by 2027, will reach about 466 feet.

With Flight 11, SpaceX will close the chapter on Starship’s Version 2 and prepare for its next leap. The results will shape the next phase of development, bringing Elon Musk’s Mars vision one step closer to reality.