SpaceX’s 13th full-scale Starship test flight ended with the vehicle making an intact, on-target splashdown in the Indian Ocean, where it remained afloat rather than breaking apart or burning. The result matters because it offers SpaceX its clearest opportunity yet to examine how Starship’s heat shield performed during re-entry and could support plans to reuse the spacecraft more rapidly.

After its hour-long flight from South Texas, Starship’s more than 18,000 ceramic heat-shield tiles endured temperatures of up to 1,430°C, while onboard cameras and drones indicated the vehicle and its six Raptor engines were largely undamaged. Elon Musk said SpaceX may attempt to catch Starship with the launch tower’s mechanical arms on its next flight, potentially after a longer trajectory or low-Earth-orbit mission; SpaceX has previously caught the larger Super Heavy booster, but at much lower return speeds.