Overview

• Musk says SpaceX aims next year to catch both Super Heavy and the Starship upper stage and to deliver more than 100 tons to a useful orbit, contingent on avoiding major setbacks.
• Company officials confirm one final v2 suborbital flight this year, with the first v3 launch also expected to be suborbital before an orbital attempt if that test succeeds.
• Flight 10 achieved smooth stage separation, a booster landing, and the first payload ejection from Starship, providing key data for the transition to the upgraded vehicle.
• Engineers reported metallic heat-shield tiles oxidized during reentry and exposed ablative material under the tiles, prompting a shift to sealing tiles with a promising 'crunch wrap' technique and less tile experimentation on the next flight.
• Musk says SpaceX may try catching the Starship upper stage with the launch tower’s arms on flights 13 through 15 depending on v3 performance.