SpaceX to attempt 11th Starship flight test on Monday

SpaceX is preparing for the 11th flight test of its Starship megarocket, which will launch from its Starbase base in Texas on Monday. The launch window opens on October 13 at 7:15 pm ET. You will be able to watch it live starting 30 minutes before takeoff at the SpaceX website and on X.

starship last flight follows a successful test at the end of August, during which deployed a payload – eight dummy Starlink satellites – in space for the first time since a failed attempt at the beginning of the year. The company intends to conduct 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 flight tested. Goals this time include “flight experiments collecting data for the next-generation Super Heavy booster, stress testing of Starship’s heat shield, and demonstration of maneuvers that will mimic the final approach of the upper stage for a future return to the launch site.”

SpaceX will not try catches Super Heavy in his “chopsticks” This time we returned to the launch site. Instead, the booster is expected to end up in the Gulf of Mexico, while Starship will splash down in the Indian Ocean.