Mission repeats profile of the last launch and tests new thruster landing configuration
This Monday (October 13, 2025) the 11th flight test of the Starship rocket, described by the company as the largest and most powerful ever built, should be carried out. The launch is scheduled for 7:15 pm (8:15 pm Brasília time) from the base in south Texas (USA).
The test can be followed live on SpaceX’s social networks, with the broadcast starting around 30 minutes before the start of the launch window, which will last 75 minutes.
The Starship system is made up of 2 devices: the Super Heavy thruster and the upper ship, also called Starship. Both were designed for multiple use and rapid reuse – a central part of the company’s strategy to reduce costs and make the colonization plan of , defended by founder and CEO Elon Musk, viable.
This Monday’s flight (Oct 13) will be an opportunity for the company to prove that the , in August, was not isolated. In that mission, SpaceX managed to meet all main objectives for the first time since the beginning of the program. The Super Heavy touched down in the Gulf of Mexico about 6 and a half minutes after takeoff, while the spacecraft did the same in the Indian Ocean about 1 hour later.
The 10th launch was the 3rd attempt at the flight, which had been postponed because of spacecraft problems and bad weather. It had failed in previous releases this year, on May 27th and June 18th. According to the official, “Following completion of investigations into the loss of Starship on its 9th flight test and the Starship 36 static fire anomaly, hardware and operational changes were made to increase reliability”.
According to the company, the current test will seek to repeat the performance and evaluate a new landing burn configuration for the propellant. It will also be used to collect data that will allow the spacecraft to return to the launch base in the future, being captured by the arms of the tower – nicknamed “chopsticks”.
SpaceX reported that it purposely removed part of the ship’s thermal protection plates to test areas considered most vulnerable during reentry. The final leg of the flight is expected to include a dynamic pitch maneuver and control tests at subsonic speed, before the planned landing in the Indian Ocean.
The company said the development of Starship involves a trial-and-error engineering process. In previous tests, there have been failures and explosions, but each step has provided data used in improving the rocket.
The propellant used in this mission has already participated in the 8th flight of the Starship program, in early 2025.
STARSHIP E SPACEX
SpaceX is an American space exploration company founded by Elon Musk in 2002. Its is “make humanity a ”. To this end, the company aims to develop rockets and spacecraft capable of “taking humans to Mars and other destinations in the solar system”. At the moment, the tests consist of flying and returning to Earth in a reusable form, thereby reducing costs and increasing the frequency of launches.
The company’s most ambitious project is , a rocket designed to take people and cargo to destinations in space. The idea is to create an infrastructure that allows manned and unmanned missions to Mars, including the construction of habitats and self-sustainable cities, taking advantage of the planet’s resources.
The is made up of 2 main elements: the lower stage, called Super Heavy, which provides the force necessary to escape Earth’s gravity, and the Starship, a ship that transports astronauts, equipment or satellites. Together, these elements allow orbital flights and landing tests, functioning as a kind of “giant space shuttle”.
