SpaceX’s 13th full-scale Starship test flight was largely successful, marking a significant recovery after engine problems on the previous mission. The upgraded rocket reached space from Texas, while the Starship upper stage survived re-entry and made a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean, an important demonstration for SpaceX’s ambitions to make the system reusable.

All 33 Raptor 3 engines fired at lift-off, and the roughly hour-long suborbital mission also deployed next-generation Starlink test satellites. The Super Heavy booster was lost after several engines failed to ignite during its landing sequence in the Gulf of Mexico, but the upper stage remained intact, floated after landing and continued transmitting data. It was the second flight of Starship’s Version 3 design, which is intended eventually to carry large payloads and support missions beyond Earth orbit.