SpaceX’s Starship completed its 10th test flight by splashing down intact in the Indian Ocean, marking the first time the 121-metre vehicle has survived the full launch-reentry cycle. The spacecraft lifted off from the company’s Starbase site in South Texas at about 6:30 p.m. local time on 26 August, separated cleanly from its Super Heavy booster and later carried out a controlled de-orbit, landing burn and water landing within metres of its target zone. During the hour-long mission the booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico while the upper stage executed a sub-orbital trajectory, redeployed one of its Raptor engines and released eight mass simulators that mimic future Starlink satellites. Engineers deliberately flew the craft with missing heat-shield tiles and stressed control flaps; despite visible damage, Starship retained control through peak heating and descent—key data for future reuse. The success is pivotal for NASA, which has awarded SpaceX roughly US$4 billion to adapt Starship as the Human Landing System for the Artemis III mission, scheduled to return U.S. astronauts to the Moon in 2027. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said the flight “paves the way” for meeting that timetable amid intensifying competition with China’s lunar programme. Less than 24 hours after the Starship test, SpaceX launched 28 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral, achieving its 400th Falcon 9 droneship landing. The mission also saw veteran booster 1067 complete its 30th flight, underscoring the company’s rapid turnaround goals that Starship is ultimately meant to exceed. Environmental monitors in Mexico’s Tamaulipas state said no rocket debris reached their coastline, easing local concerns that followed earlier Starship tests. SpaceX is analysing flight data to inform the next iteration of the fully reusable vehicle.