SpaceX Starship Deploys 8 Test Satellites, Splashes Safely

SpaceX’s Starship mega rocket lifts off on a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025.

SpaceX successfully conducted the latest test flight of its massive Starship rocket on Tuesday night, marking the first-ever deployment of a test payload — eight dummy satellites — into orbit. After coasting in space for just over an hour, Starship splashed down as planned in the Indian Ocean.

The rocket lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase in south Texas shortly after 6:30 p.m., marking the 10th test of the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, intended for future lunar and deep-space missions.

NASA has contracted two Starships to carry astronauts to the moon later this decade, while SpaceX CEO Elon Musk envisions missions to Mars. No crew were aboard this demonstration launch.

The mission also saw the successful return of Starship’s Super Heavy Booster, which landed in the Gulf of Mexico after executing a controlled landing-burn sequence. Meanwhile, Starship orbited Earth, passing from daylight over Texas into night and back into daytime, before firing its engines to flip upright and enter the water nose-first.

This success comes after a year of setbacks. Earlier tests in January and March ended minutes after liftoff, scattering debris into the ocean, and the ninth test in May failed when the spacecraft tumbled uncontrollably and broke apart.

SpaceX recently redesigned the Super Heavy Booster with larger, stronger fins to improve stability. The very first Starship exploded minutes into its inaugural 2023 flight.

The mission highlights SpaceX’s continued progress toward operational Starship flights for future lunar, orbital, and interplanetary missions.