Overview

• The eleventh Starship test is scheduled to launch from Starbase, Texas, marking the final flight of the current vehicle generation and the last use of Launch Pad A.
• Planned objectives include a Raptor engine re-ignition in space, release of simulated Starlink payloads, reentry guidance and heatshield stress tests, and a new Super Heavy landing ignition sequence.
• Starship is the selected Human Landing System for Artemis III and IV, a strategy that depends on extensive in-orbit refueling that has not yet been demonstrated and that NASA acknowledges is on a significantly challenged timeline.
• Reporting underscores geopolitical stakes as China targets a crewed lunar landing around 2030, with analysts warning a Starship setback could push Artemis back and shift advantage.
• Blue Origin promotes a Blue Moon approach that its engineers say could avoid orbital refueling and be adapted for crew, while SpaceX projects accelerating to as many as 25 Starship test flights per year.