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SpaceX Sets Oct. 13 Target for Starship Flight 11 With New Booster Landing Test

The test validates a new booster landing-burn profile to pave the way for future return-to-launch-site operations.

Overview

  • SpaceX is targeting Monday, October 13, with a launch window opening at 6:15 p.m. CT and a webcast starting about 30 minutes earlier.
  • The Super Heavy booster, reused from Flight 8 and flying with 24 flight-proven Raptors, will head toward the Gulf of America rather than return to the pad.
  • Engineers will trial a 13-to-5-to-3 engine landing sequence to add redundancy and capture data on shutdown transitions before a planned splashdown.
  • The upper stage will attempt a Raptor relight in space, deploy eight Starlink simulators, execute a dynamic banking maneuver, and target an Indian Ocean splashdown.
  • SpaceX frames Flight 11 as the final Version 2 demonstration ahead of a larger Version 3 debut in early 2026, with timing subject to conditions and readiness.