Mission Highlights & Timeline
Launch & Booster Performance
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The ~397–400-foot rocket lifted off from Starbase, Texas, at approximately 6:30 p.m. CT (August 26, 2025) (Investors, The Times of India, Houston Chronicle, New York Post).
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The Super Heavy booster ignited all 33 Raptor engines, with one engine shutting down shortly after as part of an intentional engine-out test (Wikipedia).
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It performed a hot-staging maneuver, separating smoothly from the Starship upper stage (Investors, Wikipedia).
Upper Stage (Ship) Achievements
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Ship 37 completed a dummy payload deployment of eight Starlink simulators—its very first such deployment—marking a major milestone (San Antonio Express-News, The Week, Financial Times, Wikipedia).
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It also demonstrated a Raptor engine re-ignition in space (Space, Wikipedia, New York Post).
Reentry & Splashdown
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During atmospheric reentry, the upper stage sustained significant damage—its heat shield scorched golden-brown, parts of the aft skirt and flaps were missing or stressed—all intentionally induced to test the limits (Space, Wikipedia, TESLARATI, San Antonio Express-News, Houston Chronicle).
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Impressively, despite the damage, it executed a flip maneuver, landing burn, and splashdown within just 3 meters (under 10 feet) of its target point in the Indian Ocean (TESLARATI, Space, Wikipedia, Investors).
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Both the booster and Ship landed in controlled water splashdowns, though they were not recovered intact—expected outcomes at this testing stage (Investors, The Week, Houston Chronicle, Financial Times).
Summary Table
| Component | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Super Heavy | Successful hot staging and controlled splashdown in Gulf of Mexico (expected destruction) |
| Ship (upper) | Deployed payload, re-ignited engine, survived heavy reentry stress, precise splashdown |
Significance
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This was Starship’s first fully successful test flight in 2025, following three prior missions that ended in failures during reentry or in-flight incidents (Investors, San Antonio Express-News, The Week).
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It validated critical operational capabilities: payload deployment, engine restart ability, heat shield resilience, structural endurance, and landing precision. These are key steps toward achieving SpaceX’s ambitions for Moon and Mars missions (Investors, El PaÃs, Financial Times).
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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk celebrated the mission’s success, confirming it provides essential data for future Starship and Super Heavy designs (Investors, San Antonio Express-News, TESLARATI).
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