Overview

• SpaceX launched the 403‑foot Starship from Texas for its 11th full‑scale test, reaching space and carrying eight mock Starlink‑style satellites.
• The booster separated cleanly and executed a controlled entry into the Gulf of Mexico, while the spacecraft reentered and splashed down in the Indian Ocean with no hardware recovered.
• SpaceX conducted added entry maneuvers for the spacecraft as practice for eventual return operations during a flight lasting just over an hour.
• In‑space refueling, vehicle recovery, and propulsive landing were not attempted, and experts say Mars flights from 2026 and a 2027 lunar return look increasingly difficult as a panel warns the lunar lander variant could be years late.
• NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy called the flight another step toward a south‑pole landing, while former officials including Jim Bridenstine warn the U.S. could lose the lunar race to China and Elon Musk acknowledges thousands of technical challenges remain.