SpaceX successfully launches 11th test flight of Starship megarocket

HOUSTON, United States

SpaceX successfully launched the 11th test flight of its Starship rocket Monday from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, according to media outlets.

The Starship megarocket is the most powerful launch vehicle ever built and completed an hour-long test flight that reinforced its reusable design to be used in NASA's future Artemis missions to the Moon.

"Another major step toward landing Americans on the Moon's south pole," Acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy posted on the US social media company X’s platform.

"The progress @SpaceX demonstrated with today's Starship test is critical for our Artemis missions," Duffy continued. "While we prepare for Artemis II, every flight strengthens our progress on Artemis III, and beating China back to the Moon!"

It's been an up and down year for SpaceX test missions with the Starship prototype, known as Version 2.

Monday's launch was the second consecutive clean test run for Version 2, with the first successful launch taking place in August.

The three previous Starship Version 2 missions suffered in-flight failures, as well as an explosive accident during ground testing earlier this year.

SpaceX is competing against China in the newest space race to develop a space vehicle to complete a moon landing for NASA planned for 2027.

Figuring out how to get the Starship vehicle safely back through the extreme heat of the Earth’s atmosphere intact and without losing contact is vital, as SpaceX hopes to one day safely land the vehicle so it can be flown again.

The Starship can currently heat up to more than 2,600F (1,426C) during the reentry process without deterioration.

Experts in the space industry have emphasized how transformative the Starship could be if the vehicle is successful.

The megarocket stands at a towering 400 feet (121 meters) tall and packs 16.7 million pounds (7,590 tons) of force at liftoff.

With its enormous size and extraordinary power, officials said the Starship is expected to drastically drive down the cost per pound of sending cargo to space.

That cost-effectiveness is crucial as visionaries in the space industry look to expand their presence on the Moon, in addition to commandeering future trips to Mars.

Monday's launch is expected to be the last test mission for the Version 2 prototypes. SpaceX said it will debut a scaled-up Starship Version 3 for its next test flight.