Latest at Starbase with LabPadre: Oct. 16

STARBASE, Texas (ValleyCentral) —This week at Starbase, SpaceX notched another major step towards making its Starship system fully reusable.

The latest test flight, Flight 11, launched Monday afternoon from right here in our backyard.

The massive reused Super Heavy booster, designated Booster 15.2, roared off the pad just after 6:23 p.m., carrying Ship 38, the upper stage Starship, on what SpaceX called its final test of the Block II version design.

About two and a half minutes after launch, the two vehicles performed a hot staging separation, firing Starship's engines before the booster detached, a maneuver crucial for efficiency in future flights.

The super heavy then reversed its course for a boost back and landing burn, which reoriented its trajectory and then softly splashed down about 40 miles offshore in the Gulf.

Starship continued on a suborbital path, deploying eight simulated payloads and even relighting one of its Raptor engines mid-flight, a test of orbital maneuvering capabilities.

During the flight, the Starship upper stage deployed eight dummy Starlink satellites known as mass simulators.

They were released from a new PEZ-style dispenser inside the ship's payload bay, the same system planned for full Starlink launches.

The payloads followed a suborbital path and burned up on reentry, but the test confirmed Starship's deployment hardware works in flight, clearing the way for real satellite launches on upcoming Version 3 missions.

Reentry brought in another highlight of this epic flight.

Starship executed a dramatic belly flop and flip burn, ending with a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

Let's watch from SpaceX's remote cams as the ship pulls off this amazing maneuver.

There is the landing burn.

SpaceX reports that all primary mission goals were achieved, including the collection of new flight control data and testing of heat shield durability under high stress.

The debut of the Block III version of Starship is coming soon, featuring upgraded Raptors, stronger heat shield protection, and plans for orbital refueling tests.

If those succeed, SpaceX says it's on track for regular orbital flights and eventually NASA's Artemis lunar missions.

For now, Flight 11 closes out a chapter and opens the door to the next generation of spaceflight.

For continued live coverage and other detailed Starbase content, visit the LabPadre YouTube channel or LabPadre.com.