Overview: SpaceX Starship Flight 11 aims to advance Starship testing
SpaceX is preparing for Starship Flight 11 at the Starbase facility in South Texas. The mission, scheduled for Monday, Oct. 13, will operate within a 75-minute launch window beginning at 7:15 p.m. EDT (2315 GMT; 6:15 p.m. local time). This flight is the fifth Starship test in 2025 and focuses on extending the progress from Flight 10, with goals centered on ocean landings for both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage.
Launch window, timing, and backup dates
The permitted 75-minute window means liftoff could occur any time from 7:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EDT (2315–0030 GMT). If weather or technical issues postpone the Monday launch, SpaceX has backup dates lined up for Tuesday, Oct. 14, and Wednesday, Oct. 15. Enthusiasts planning to watch in person should anticipate typical South Padre Island-area traffic and plan to arrive early for a good viewing spot along the shoreline near Cameron County.
What Flight 11 tests and why it matters
Flight 11 builds on the lessons from Flight 10 and pushes Starship toward operational readiness. The mission mirrors its predecessor in aiming for ocean landings for both the Starship upper stage and the Super Heavy booster—no “chopsticks” booster capture this time. SpaceX describes Flight 11 as a data-gathering mission to inform the next-generation systems, including stress-testing the heat shield and refining final approach maneuvers for a future return to launch site.
Key objectives and hardware details
The Flight 11 booster has experience from Flight 8, which achieved a successful chopsticks capture. In this mission, SpaceX is testing a new landing-burn configuration for the upcoming Version 3 (V3) Super Heavy, which is expected to debut in 2026. The plan features a 13-engine initial landing burn, followed by a transition to a five-engine phase for fine-tuning, then a three-engine ending burn before water splashdown.
Mission timeline and milestones
Flight 11’s roughly hour-long sequence includes pre-launch checks and a series of in-flight milestones. Highlights include:
- Pre-launch polls and fueling checks in the minutes leading up to liftoff
- Raptor engine chilldown and ignition sequence just seconds before launch
- Liftoff, followed by max q and main engine cutoff of the Super Heavy
- Stage separation and initial burn of the Ship upper stage
- Boostback and landing burns for the booster, culminating in a splashdown offshore
- Starship engine relight, reentry testing, and a subsonic trajectory before landing
- Payload deployment simulations and a final relight demonstration
Notably, Flight 11 will deploy eight dummy Starlink satellites into suborbital space for testing and will reignite a Raptor engine briefly in orbit to explore capabilities for lunar and Martian missions. A unique reentry test involves intentionally stress-testing heat-resistant tiles by removing some during the flight, simulating future return conditions and testing guidance algorithms for a successful splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
Viewing options: how to watch
If you cannot attend in person, SpaceX will stream Flight 11 across multiple platforms about 30 minutes before liftoff. The livestream will be available on SpaceX’s X platform, the Starship Flight 11 mission page, and the X TV app, starting around 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT). For broader coverage, Space.com will simulcast the official stream, while NASASpaceflight offers extended coverage beginning around 4:15 p.m. EDT with additional commentary on preflight checks.
Where to view in person
Prime viewing spots include the Cameron County Amphitheater at Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island and along the Port Isabel shoreline, which provides a clear sightline to Starbase. Given the popularity of these events, arriving early is strongly advised to secure a good vantage point and manage traffic.
FAQs
Q1: What is Starship Flight 11?
A1: It is SpaceX’s fifth Starship launch of 2025, designed to gather data for future missions and test new landing configurations.
Q2: When is the launch and what if weather delays it?
A2: The window opens at 7:15 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 13, with backups on Oct. 14–15. Check official SpaceX channels for real-time updates.
