"Hell Of A Great Day For Starship": SpaceX Tests Megarocket In First Time Since IPO

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SpaceX launched Starship on its 13th test flight on Friday evening, the first since the company's massive IPO, successfully deploying 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites while demonstrating further progress with its largest rocket.

"Deployment of 20 @Starlink V3 satellites complete. Today's test will provide critical data as we prepare to expand our Starlink constellation," SpaceX announced on X.

The Super Heavy booster separated about two minutes after liftoff but suffered engine relight failures before a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

Starship's upper stage performed better, completing a soft landing in the Indian Ocean and remaining intact. This gave engineers their first detailed view of an undamaged heat shield after reentry.

"This is the softest splashdown we have ever had with the Starship there in the Indian Ocean," Dan Huot, communications manager at SpaceX, said on a livestream, adding, "I'm a little over the moon right now. Wow. Lucky number 13. Hell of a great day for Starship." 

In a statement after the test flight, SpaceX said the booster landing "attempted to relight its engines for the landing burn," but only a subset successfully ignited before the "hard splashdown," adding that the upper stage of the rocket made a "soft splashdown" in the Indian Ocean. It noted that Starship came "to rest intact in the Indian Ocean and providing critical views of an intact heatshield for the first time."

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The test advances SpaceX's plans to expand Starlink, develop orbital data centers and support NASA missions to the moon.