SpaceX’s Starship successfully completed its historic Flight 10 on August 26, 2025, culminating in a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. This milestone marks a significant step in SpaceX’s ambitions to develop a reliable vehicle for future missions to Mars. The 121-meter-tall rocket lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase in South Texas, where the mission objectives were met with notable success.
Both the Super Heavy booster and the Ship upper stage accomplished their primary goals during the flight. The Super Heavy booster landed in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Ship upper stage made its way to a targeted splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The journey, however, took its toll on the Ship, as newly released footage reveals visible damage from the reentry process.
Flight 10 Overview and Performance
On August 28, SpaceX shared images and videos on social media platform X, showcasing the Ship’s descent toward the ocean under a cloudy sky. The footage highlighted the vehicle’s heat-damaged belly, which appeared golden-brown from the intense heat of reentry. Notably, the Ship also showed other signs of wear, including several missing pieces near its base, resembling the aftermath of a tough battle.
Despite these flaws, SpaceX had intentionally designed the test to push the Ship to its limits. The company confirmed that the vehicle survived reentry with deliberately missing tiles and successfully completed maneuvers that stressed its flaps. In a statement, SpaceX noted, “Starship made it through reentry with intentionally missing tiles, completed maneuvers to intentionally stress its flaps, had visible damage to its aft skirt and flaps, and still executed a flip and landing burn that placed it approximately 3 meters from its targeted splashdown point.”
Significance of the Flight
The successful splashdown represents the first of its kind for the Ship in 2025, following three premature failures in previous test flights earlier this year. Flight 10 also achieved other critical milestones. The Ship re-ignited one of its Raptor engines in space, a feat only accomplished in one previous Starship flight. Additionally, it deployed a payload of eight dummy versions of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, marking a first for the upper stage.
Looking forward, SpaceX aims to continue its series of test flights with the ultimate goal of launching trial missions to Mars as early as next year. Company founder and CEO Elon Musk remains optimistic about the future of Starship, which is designed to facilitate human settlement on Mars and beyond. The successful completion of Flight 10 not only demonstrates the vehicle’s capabilities but also strengthens SpaceX’s position in the aerospace industry as it prepares for the challenges ahead.
