SpaceX’s Starship rocket has finally broken its streak of misfortunes after a successful 10th test flight. The massive two-stage rocket, standing at 400 feet tall, successfully hit key test objectives and opened its payload bay door as planned. In its last test flight, the door failed to open due to issues with the rocket’s payload system. However, this time around, everything went smoothly.
The rocket’s lower stage returned to Earth safely after deploying eight dummy satellites into space from the upper stage. The upper stage then re-entered the atmosphere, allowing SpaceX to study its heat shield and flaps. Video footage from a buoy showed the spacecraft landing on target in the Indian Ocean.
This successful flight marks a significant turnaround for Starship, which had experienced a string of failures earlier this year, including explosions and disintegrations. The space community watched with great interest as Starship finally showed signs of recovery.
Despite the setbacks, SpaceX remains at the top of its game, conducting more than half of the world’s launches and deploying 80% of the world’s satellites. Other successful launch activities have continued without incident, including a robotic capsule carrying supplies for NASA astronauts on the International Space Station.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2025/08/26/g-s1-85541/starship-space-x-tenth-flight