Starship flight test 11

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This article is about the eleventh flight test of the Starship+Super Heavy vehicle. For other launches of Starship, see List of Starship launches.

Starship flight test 11
Mission typeFlight test
OperatorSpaceX
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftShip 38
Spacecraft typeStarship (Block 2)
ManufacturerSpaceX
Start of mission
Launch dateNET October 13, 2025 at 6:15pm CDT (23:15 UTC)[1]
RocketSuper Heavy (Block 2, B15-2)
Launch siteStarbase, Pad-1
End of mission
Landing site

Starship flight test 11 will be the eleventh flight test of a SpaceX Starship launch vehicle, utilizing Booster 15 and Ship 38.[2] It will be the last flight of a Block 2 Starship vehicle, and will fly a similiar profile to the previous two flights.[3] According to Eric Berger, Flight 11 will likely test further heat shield modifications, along with additional tests of the Raptor engines,[4] with a later statement by SpaceX employee Bill Gerstenmaier contradicting this, stating that the ship would fly a more operational heat shield.[5] SpaceX would later confirm that the ship would still have some tile experiments, involving removing tiles that lack an ablative backup section.[6]

Background

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Vehicle testing ahead of launch

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Booster 15

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B15 was rolled back to Mega Bay 1 on March 8 for refurbishment,[7] after having flown on flight 8.[8] It was then rolled to Pad 1 on September 5, and stacked onto the OLM on September 6. Booster 15 then performed a 33 engine, 9 second duration static fire on September 7.[9] B15 then rolled back to MB1 on September 8.[10]

Ship 38

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S38 was rolled to the Massey's test site for cryogenic testing on July 27.[11] On July 30, S38 conducted three separate cryogenic proof tests,[12] followed by a return to the production site on August 1.[12] Engine Installation began on August 14 with two Vacuum Raptors entering MB2.[13] S38 rolled out to the OLP-1 at the Starbase Launch Site on the 17th of September, S38 was then lifted onto the Launch Mount for static fire testing.[14] The first attempt at a static fire was aborted as the vehicle began propellant load on September 18.[15] It re-attempted a static fire, but it was aborted for unknown reasons during propellant loading.[16] Ship 38 then conducted a 6 engine, 8 second duration static fire on September 22.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Maritime Safety Information Products | Navigation Center". www.navcen.uscg.gov. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  2. ^ Weber, Ryan (July 29, 2025). "The Final Two Block 2 Ships leave Mega Bay 2 for Testing". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  3. ^ Clark, Stephen (September 9, 2025). "SpaceX's lesson from last Starship flight? "We need to seal the tiles."". Ars Technica. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  4. ^ Berger, Eric (August 29, 2025). "SpaceX got good heat shield data for Starship, so what comes next?". Ars Technica. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  5. ^ Weber, Ryan (September 12, 2025). "Flight 11 closing in as Booster 15 completes testing, Pad 1 awaits Ship 38". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  6. ^ "Starship's Eleventh Flight Test". SpaceX. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  7. ^ The One that Came Back - Booster 15 Returns as Pad B Shapes Up | SpaceX Boca Chica. NASASpaceflight. March 13, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Starship's Eighth Flight Test". SpaceX. February 24, 2025. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  9. ^ NASASpaceflight (September 17, 2025). SpaceX Performs Final Booster Static Fire on Pad 1. Event occurs at 01:14:30. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  10. ^ NASASpaceflight (September 11, 2025). Flight 11: SpaceX isn't Playing Around | SpaceX Starbase. Event occurs at 0:26. Retrieved September 11, 2025 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ SpaceX Rolls Starship 38 For Pre-flight Proof Testing at Starbase. NASASpaceflight. July 26, 2025. Retrieved July 27, 2025 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ a b "Not one, but TWO Starship Static Fires" | SpaceX Starbase. NASASpaceflight. August 2, 2025. Event occurs at 6:37. Retrieved August 2, 2025 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ "It's No Earlier Than the 24th" | SpaceX Starbase. NASASpaceflight. August 16, 2025. Event occurs at 3:56. Retrieved August 16, 2025 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ NASASpaceflight (September 17, 2025). "Up Next: Ship 38 Static Fire" | SpaceX Starbase. Event occurs at 9:28. Retrieved September 18, 2025 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ NASASpaceflight (September 17, 2025). SpaceX Performs Static Fire of Final Block 2 Ship. Retrieved September 18, 2025 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ NASASpaceflight (August 19, 2025). "Starship Flight 11: Ship 38's second static fire attempt aborted. Cars to the pad, and the SQD arm moved to allow for the sticks to come down, so likely done for the day. Road Open". Twitter. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  17. ^ NASASpaceflight (September 22, 2025). SpaceX Performs Static Fire of Final Block 2 Ship - Third Attempt. Retrieved September 22, 2025 – via YouTube.