SpaceX Prepares for October 13 Launch of Starship Flight 11, Final Test of Current Variant

SpaceX is preparing for another milestone as its Starship megarocket is set to launch on Oct. 13 from the company's Starbase facility in South Texas. The test, designated Flight 11, will be the final mission of Starship's current “Version 2,” and its design will be upgraded before rollout with the next iteration. The window for launch will open at 7:15 p.m. EDT (2315 GMT), and the mission will be streamed live by SpaceX. The flight follows August's successful demonstration for both the booster and upper stage, which proved an ideal system.

SpaceX's Oct. 13 Starship Launch to Reuse Super Heavy, Test New Landing Burn and Stress Tiles

According to a Space.com report, Flight 11 will closely mirror Flight 10, targeting splashdowns in the Gulf of Mexico for Super Heavy and the Indian Ocean for the upper-stage Ship. SpaceX noted the vehicle will again deploy eight dummy Starlink satellites while deliberately stress-testing heat-shield tiles. Engineers said the booster will also attempt a new five-engine landing burn configuration, providing added redundancy for future designs.

The mission will reuse the same Super Heavy booster flown in March, with 24 of its 33 Raptor engines already proven in earlier flights. Observers pointed out that this marks only the second time SpaceX has reused a booster of this scale, underlining its push toward rapid reusability.

Standing nearly 400 feet tall, Starship is the world's largest and most powerful rocket. The upcoming Version 3, due on Flight 12, will stretch slightly taller, with further growth planned in future models.

For future Mars missions, SpaceX has positioned the spacecraft as an ideal vehicle. Experts denoted that the Oct. 13 test is expected to upgrade improvements that are significant for long-term vision.