SpaceX plans to conduct the tenth test flight of its nearly 400-foot-tall Starship launch system on Sunday, Aug. 24, with a 7:30 p.m. ET liftoff target from its Starbase facility in South Texas. Notices to airmen show a backup opportunity on Aug. 25, underscoring that the timetable may still change while final pad preparations continue. The uncrewed mission will pair Super Heavy Booster 16 with the upper-stage Ship 37 to run a series of flight experiments aimed at gathering data for future profiles. Hardware upgrades include three grid fins—50 % larger and stronger than earlier versions—intended to improve booster control and align with the launch tower’s catch arms. SpaceX says the flight is the penultimate test before a broader redesign of the vehicle. Regulators cleared the attempt after closing probes into two recent mishaps: Flight 9 on May 27, which broke apart 46 minutes after launch when a pressurization diffuser failed, and the June 18 ground explosion of Ship 36 caused by a damaged high-pressure nitrogen tank. SpaceX implemented corrective actions mandated by the FAA and argues the incremental approach is essential to maturing the fully reusable system that NASA intends to use for future lunar missions.