Elon Musk's giant rocket Starship successfully completes its eleventh test flight

Elon Musk wants to send humans to Mars. The rocket system built for this purpose—the largest in space history—is making progress.

The largest rocket system ever built in space history has completed its eleventh test flight largely according to plan. Starship, developed by tech billionaire Elon Musk 's private space company SpaceX , launched from the company's spaceport in the US state of Texas, flew for a while through space, and then landed in the Indian Ocean about an hour later.

The lower rocket stage landed in the ocean again as planned, and the satellite deployment was also simulated again. SpaceX said it was an "exciting" eleventh test. The company has announced a revised version of the Starship for the next test flight.

The Starship rocket system is larger than the Statue of Liberty in New York. It consists of two parts that separate after launch: the approximately 70-meter-long Super Heavy booster and the approximately 50-meter-long upper stage, also called Starship.

Both parts are designed to be reused after returning to Earth. The US space agency NASA plans to use Starship to send astronauts to the moon, while SpaceX aims to one day reach Mars.

The rocket system was first tested in April 2023 – and exploded completely after just a few minutes. In subsequent tests, the upper stage reached space and even made a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean. However, several test flights had already fallen significantly short of expectations.

SpaceX is considered a pioneer in reusable rocket systems. Startups in Europe – and Germany – are also working on reusable systems. Compared to SpaceX's Starship, Europe is focusing primarily on independently accessible satellite launches, innovative space transportation and supply solutions, and new legislation to strengthen competitiveness.

The goal is independent access to space, reducing Europe's dependence on US and Russian technology. Startups such as Isar Aerospace from Munich, Rocket Factory Augsburg, HyImpulse, Skyrora (UK), and The Exploration Company are developing new rockets (microlaunchers) specifically designed for small and medium-sized satellites.

​kit with material from dpa