Overview

• SpaceX launched Flight 11 from Starbase at 6:23 p.m. CDT for a roughly one-hour suborbital mission that concluded with planned splashdowns.
• The reused Super Heavy executed the new 13-5-3 landing-burn sequence and achieved a controlled water landing in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Starship deployed eight Starlink simulators, performed an in‑space Raptor relight, executed a dynamic banking maneuver, and splashed down in the Indian Ocean.
• Engineers intentionally removed heat‑shield tiles to stress-test vulnerable areas, with the vehicle surviving peak heating to gather data for rapid reuse.
• SpaceX characterized the flight as the final V2 test as it prepares Version 3 for early 2026, a step viewed as crucial for NASA’s Artemis lander plans and future in‑orbit refueling demonstrations.