SpaceX on Tuesday launched its mammoth Starship rocket, breaking a string of explosive failed attempts earlier this year to deploy its first batch of dummy Starlink satellites and notch key developmental milestones. The more-than 400-feet rocket, critical for SpaceX’s commercial dominance and NASA’s ambitions to return astronauts to the Moon, took off from the company’s Starbase facilities at 6:30 p.m. local time in Texas for a roughly one-hour nail-biting flight. Throughout the test flight — the rocket’s 10th — it made its first successful payload deployment of eight mock Starlink satellites, relit its Raptor engine in orbit and stress trialed its heat shield. The latter performance is of particular note for tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is hoping to deliver reusable heat shields. Typically, rocket heat shields require extensive and costly refurbishment or wholesale replacement after flights. Following a state separation, the rocket’s reusable Super Heavy booster — which thrusts the Starship into the orbit — made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf Coast waters, with the spacecraft following to its own splashdown point in the Indian Ocean after completing its run.

Full report : SpaceX Starship’s 10th test flight successfully splashes down after repeated setbacks.