(MENAFN) SpaceX successfully conducted the 10th test flight of its Starship rocket on Tuesday, marking a major advancement toward creating the world’s first fully reusable launch vehicle.

The two-stage rocket lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas at approximately 6:30 p.m. Central Time (2330 GMT), following two days of delays due to weather and technical issues.

Shortly after liftoff, the Super Heavy booster performed a boostback burn for a controlled descent and successfully splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico as intended. Meanwhile, the Starship upper stage ignited its Raptor engines during hot-staging separation, completed its ascent burn, and entered a planned coast phase.

Around 18 minutes into the mission, SpaceX demonstrated Starship’s payload deployment capability for the first time by releasing a set of Starlink simulator satellites, which followed the suborbital trajectory and burned up upon reentry.

In orbit, Starship successfully reignited one of its Raptor engines, a crucial feature for future deorbit burns.

The spacecraft then began a controlled reentry, using four flaps for maneuvering, executed a landing flip, and completed a final burn for a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean just over an hour after launch.

MENAFN27082025000045017281ID1109983593