The tenth Starship test flight was successful after a series of failures. Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket launched satellites into space and splashed down in the Indian Ocean. This is reported by UNN with reference to SatNews.
Details
Flight tests began with a successful launch in Texas on August 26. After liftoff, the Starship upper stage fired six Raptor engines to separate from the Super Heavy booster and continue its flight into space.
The booster successfully splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, and the upper stage splashed down in the Indian Ocean.
After that, the Super Heavy booster completed its idle run to set course for the planned splashdown zone. The booster descended and successfully performed a landing maneuver, intentionally shutting down one of the three central engines in the final stages of operation and engaging a backup engine.
Meanwhile, Starship continued its flight, reaching its planned speed. Then the apparatus performed the second-ever Raptor engine re-ignition in space, from where it headed towards the Indian Ocean. There, the rocket, having withstood extreme temperatures, splashed down after passing through the atmosphere. The Starlink satellite deployment system was successfully tested in space.
As part of the test flight, Starship was subjected to loads to maximize the rocket's capabilities. New heat shield tiles, a satellite deployment system, and other improvements were tested.
Addendum
The purpose of the flight was to expand the operational capabilities of the Super Heavy launch vehicle, test landing scenarios, and backup systems. One of the three central engines was intentionally shut down during the final stage of landing to collect data on the effectiveness of the backup engine.
Addition
The previous nine Starship launches ended unsuccessfully. Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket exploded during tests.
The tenth launch also did not go without problems. Initially, it was planned for August 24, but it was canceled 17 minutes before launch. The company cited the need for additional time to fix a problem with ground systems as the reason for this decision. Ultimately, the flight was postponed to August 26 due to weather conditions.