Upcoming Starship missions will conclude with landings at Starbase, where the launch tower will attempt to catch the spacecraft returning from orbit, akin to how SpaceX has demonstrated it can retrieve the Super Heavy booster. A catch attempt with Starship is still a few flights away at minimum.
As part of the preparations for upcoming returns to Starbase, the spacecraft on Flight 11 will execute a “dynamic banking maneuver” and evaluate subsonic guidance algorithms prior to its final engine ignition to decelerate for splashdown. If everything goes as intended, the flight will conclude with a managed water landing in the Indian Ocean roughly 66 minutes post-liftoff.
Turning point
Monday’s test flight will represent the final Starship launch of this year as SpaceX gears up for a new iteration of the rocket, referred to as Version 3, slated to debut in early 2026. This updated version will utilize enhanced Raptor engines and larger fuel tanks, along with the ability to refuel in low-Earth orbit.
Starship Version 3 will also mark the opening of SpaceX’s second launch pad at Starbase, featuring various enhancements over the current location, such as a flame trench to redirect engine exhaust from the pad. Despite the flame trench being standard at many launch facilities, all prior Starship missions have utilized a raised launch mount, or stool, above a water-cooled flame deflector.
The existing launch complex is anticipated to undergo modifications to support future Starship V3 operations, providing the company with two pads to facilitate an increased launch frequency.
NASA is relying on a heightened flight frequency for Starship next year to advance towards fulfilling SpaceX’s contract for a crew-rated lander for the agency’s Artemis lunar initiative. SpaceX holds contracts worth over $4 billion to develop a version of Starship to land NASA astronauts on the Moon.
However, much of SpaceX’s advancements towards a lunar landing depend on launching multiple Starships—potentially a dozen or more—in a short timeframe of weeks or months. SpaceX is activating the second launch pad in Texas and constructing several launch towers and a new factory in Florida to make this feasible.
In addition to recovering and reusing Starship itself, the program’s most significant immediate challenge is demonstrating in-orbit refueling, a prerequisite for any subsequent Starship missions to the Moon or Mars. This inaugural refueling test might take place next year but will necessitate a smoother rollout for Starship V3 compared to Starship V2, which is set to retire after Flight 11 with, at best, a 40 percent success record.
