SpaceX has made a significant advancement in its Starship program. During the 10th test flight, the company successfully deployed a payload for the first time, launching eight Starlink satellite prototypes. Although the launch was delayed several times due to weather and technical issues, it was completed without incident. Previously, Starship had experienced explosions during ascents in its seventh, eighth, and ninth flights. In June, another explosion occurred on the ground during pre-launch preparations.

The tenth flight commenced at 6:30 PM Central American Time on August 26, 2025 (02:30 AM August 27 Kyiv time) from the Starbase launch site in Texas. The Super Heavy first stage ignited all 33 Raptor engines and lifted the rocket above the Gulf of Mexico. After stage separation, Super Heavy executed a series of complex maneuvers, including landing burn, intentionally shutting down one of the three central engines in the final phase and utilizing a backup. It even performed a brief "hover" over the water before a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

The upper stage of Starship continued its journey into space and successfully deployed the eight Starlink satellite prototypes for the first time, and also conducted a Raptor engine relight in space — a key technology for future deorbiting maneuvers.

Particular attention was given to the return phase: the thermal protection and body of Starship were intentionally subjected to extreme loads to gather more data on structural integrity.

SpaceX emphasized that this flight is a crucial step towards the full reusability of the Starship system, but further development of the upper stage return technology for reuse is still needed.