SpaceX Starship completes test flight and splashes down intact

SpaceX's Starship completed a test flight on Friday, its first since the company went public, with the spacecraft splashing down intact in the Indian Ocean after an approximately one-hour flight.

Elon Musk, the head of the company, said on X that Starship was intact, floating in the ocean and sending telemetry. SpaceX employees watched live footage from the company's Starbase site, where spokesperson Dan Huot said on the livestream that it was the first time the company had put an intact Starship in the water. He said the result was important for the team seeking heat shield data.

The flight goals were similar to a mostly successful test in May, which introduced the latest third-generation Starship model. SpaceX aimed in the 13th test launch to demonstrate the redesigns again in flight and without the problems seen earlier.

The upper stage deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites. SpaceX said that test would provide data as it prepares to expand the Starlink satellite internet constellation. The flight also tested upgrades to the spacecraft's heat shield. The company had said after the May test that it made hardware and software changes to address issues seen on the previous flight.

The booster splashdown was rougher than the company had hoped. Huot said it did not appear that all 13 engines planned for the initial landing burn had ignited, and that the booster came in faster than intended.

An earlier launch attempt had been stopped automatically as the booster began to ignite, after some engines did not start. The launch was then delayed further by weather and visibility concerns.

The flight was the first Starship test after SpaceX went public on Wall Street in June with what the report described as a record initial public offering. The company has expanded its satellite internet service and has discussed ambitions for artificial intelligence data centers in space.

SpaceX is also under contract with NASA to produce a modified Starship as a lunar landing system. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman shared an image of the rocket passing the Moon and said it showed SpaceX knew where it was going. He said Starship's future capabilities would help ensure continued access to the Moon.