SpaceX launches 10th flight test of Starship rocket

SpaceX launched the tenth flight test of its giant Starship rocket on Tuesday.

Starship took off from the company's Starbase facility in Texas at about 6:30 p.m. Central Time (2330 GMT), after two days of delays caused by weather and technical issues.

Shortly after liftoff, the Super Heavy booster executed a boostback burn to reverse course for a controlled descent into the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, the Starship upper stage ignited its Raptor engines during hot-staging separation.

SpaceX later confirmed the booster achieved a targeted splashdown in the ocean. The Starship upper stage completed its ascent burn and entered a planned coast phase.

The flight test aims at similar objectives as previous missions, including a simulated deployment of Starlink satellite models, and multiple reentry experiments designed to return the upper stage to the launch site for catch, according to SpaceX.