On October 14, 2025, American space exploration technology company SpaceX successfully launched its 11th Starship heavy-duty rocket on Monday (October 13), completing a half-orbit around Earth before crashing into the Indian Ocean as planned. This marks another milestone for the giant rocket, known as the “Starship,” and signifies an important step towards future missions to the moon and Mars.
The 123-meter-tall Starship, hailed as the most powerful rocket in history, took off from SpaceX’s Starbase at the southern tip of Texas. The rocket booster, Super Heavy, separated as planned and made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, while the spacecraft itself briefly flew into space before landing in the Indian Ocean.
Although no components were recovered, the flight was deemed a “complete success.” SpaceX live host Dan Huot declared “Starship, welcome home!” as the spacecraft returned to Earth, prompting cheers from employees on-site.
This was the company’s second successful long-range test flight following several previous explosion failures. The mission followed the successful trajectory of the August mission but included additional maneuvering tests and heat shield experiments, particularly testing new heat-resistant tiles during re-entry into the atmosphere to simulate future recovery and landing operations. The entire mission lasted about an hour and carried eight simulated Starlink satellites to test deployment systems.
SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk made a rare departure from the control center to witness the launch from outside, describing the process as “even more impressive.”
Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy praised the mission as “another significant step in getting Americans to the moon’s South Pole” on the X social platform.
In 2021, SpaceX secured a $2.9 billion contract from NASA to develop the Starship Human Landing System (Starship HLS) as part of the Artemis moon landing program, aimed at sending astronauts from lunar orbit to the lunar surface and back to orbit. NASA plans to achieve a manned moon landing as early as 2027, with the Starship seen as a crucial vehicle in that endeavor.
Last month, the U.S. National Space Council warned that continued slow progress in the development of the Starship HLS could delay the entire U.S. moon landing schedule.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell stated in Paris last month that the next-generation upgraded Starship will be equipped with orbital docking capabilities and fuel transfer systems to enable in-orbit refueling, a crucial step for long-distance flights to the moon and Mars. She anticipates the new prototype could undergo test flights as early as the end of this year or early next year.
Musk has also revealed that SpaceX plans to conduct the first-ever space refueling mission between two Starships next year. This technology will require multiple “fuel tanker Starships” to supply fuel in batches, providing sufficient propulsion for a lunar landing mission.
The Starship is not only a key part of NASA’s moon program but also a central focus of the moon race between the U.S. and China. The Chinese government has announced its aim to achieve its first manned moon landing by 2030, while the U.S. hopes to maintain its lead with the Starship system.
Additionally, the Starship is seen as a cornerstone of SpaceX’s commercial strategy, with its ability to carry super-heavy payloads to launch heavier Starlink satellites to support the company’s global satellite broadband network expansion.
With this successful test flight, SpaceX has taken another step towards creating the “ultimate transport system” that is reusable and capable of sending humans to the moon and Mars.
(Adapted from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters)