Flight 11: SpaceX Tests New Starship Landing Burns, Ship Banking Maneuvers, Subsonic Guidance Algorithms

SpaceX launched Starship Flight 11 from Pad 1 at Starbase on October 13, at about 2323 UTC, marking the final flight test for the Version 2 iteration of the megarocket system and the last use of the current Pad 1 configuration.

The mission concluded with the Super Heavy booster performing a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico and the Ship 38 upper stage successfully splashing down in the Indian Ocean about one hour and six minutes after liftoff, following a suborbital trajectory that included a payload deployment demonstration, an in-space engine relight test, and a dynamic banking maneuver during reentry.

Flight 11 also marked this Super Heavy(B15)'s second flight, following a successful catch during Flight 8 in March 2025, and it was the third booster caught by the launch tower at Pad A. For this mission, SpaceX reused 24 of its 33 Raptor 2 engines, with the booster performing a landing burn starting with 13 engines and transitioning to five for added redundancy before splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico.

Following launch, the flight followed a suborbital profile similar to previous tests, with the Super Heavy booster executing a new landing burn engine configuration planned for future Block 3 boosters. The booster performed a boostback burn, followed by a landing burn, and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 6.5 minutes after liftoff.

Accorging to SpaceX, "This was the final flight of the second-generation Starship and first generation Super Heavy booster, as well as the final launch from the current configuration of Pad 1. Every major objective of the flight test was achieved, providing valuable data as we prepare the next generation of Starship and Super Heavy.

"The flight test began with Super Heavy igniting all 33 Raptor engines and ascending over the Gulf. The successful first-stage ascent was followed by a hot-staging maneuver, with Starship’s upper stage igniting its six Raptor engines to continue its flight to space.

"Following stage separation, the Super Heavy booster completed its boostback burn to put it on a course to a pre-planned splashdown zone off the coast of Texas using 12 of the 13 planned engines. Under the same angle of attack tested on the previous flight, the booster descended until successfully igniting all 13 planned engines (including one that did not relight during the boostback burn) for the high-thrust portion of the landing burn. The booster successfully executed a unique landing burn planned for use on the next generation booster. Super Heavy hovered above the water before shutting down its engines and splashing down."

Ship 38 mission objectives include, deploying eight Starlink satellites simulators (totaling ~16,000 kg) to simulate payload release; in-space Raptor relight for deorbit maneuvers; and heat shield stress tests by intentionally removing tiles without ablative backups to expose bare steel and assess plasma exposure.

The mission deployed eight Starlink mass simulators into a suborbital trajectory, simulating the deployment of next-generation (V3) Starlink satellites. Another key objective was the demonstration of a single Raptor engine relight in space, occurring approximately 38 minutes into the flight, which validates critical capabilities for deep-space missions. Heat shield modifications were tested by removing tiles lacking an ablative backup section in vulnerable areas to stress-test the thermal protection system during reentry.

Ship 38, the final Block 2 Starship vehicle, completed its mission with a controlled reentry into Earth's atmosphere, passing through transonic and subsonic regimes before initiating its landing burn. It executed a dynamic banking maneuver during descent, testing subsonic guidance algorithms needed for future return-to-launch-site landings. The ship successfully splashed down in the Indian Ocean northwest of Western Australia at approximately 1:06:25 after liftoff.

According to SpaceX, "After completing a full-duration ascent burn, Starship achieved its planned velocity and trajectory. During flight, Starship successfully deployed eight Starlink simulators and executed the third in-space relight of a Raptor engine, demonstrating a critical capability for future deorbit burns.

"Starship re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere and was able to gather extensive data on the performance of its heatshield as it was intentionally stressed to test the limits of the vehicle’s capabilities. In the final minutes of flight, Starship performed a dynamic banking maneuver to mimic the trajectory that future missions returning to Starbase will fly. Starship then guided itself using its four flaps to the pre-planned splashdown zone in the Indian Ocean, successfully executing a landing flip, landing burn, and soft splashdown."

This flight was the eleventh test of the Starship system and the final flight for the Block 2 Starship and Super Heavy vehicles. Booster 15, which previously flew on Flight 8, was reused with 24 flight-proven Raptor engines and was intended to test configurations for the upcoming Block 3 booster.

According to SpaceX, "Focus now turns to the next generation of Starship and Super Heavy, with multiple vehicles currently in active build and preparing for tests. This next iteration will be used for the first Starship orbital flights, operational payload missions, propellant transfer, and more as we iterate to a fully and rapidly reusable vehicle with service to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond"