Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Tuesday launched its giant Starship rocket for the 10th test flight, aiming to overcome past setbacks and prove key milestones for the reusable Mars-bound system.

The 403-foot-tall vehicle blasted off from SpaceX’s Starbase in south Texas at 7.30pm EST (2330 GMT), testing new heat shield tiles, a redesigned engine landing system, and a satellite deployment mechanism.

Photo: Reuters

Read: SpaceX eyes Starship reusability milestones in rocket’s tenth flight test

As planned, Starship’s upper stage separated from its Super Heavy booster, which ditched into the Gulf of Mexico instead of attempting a tower catch. The spacecraft then re-entered Earth’s atmosphere before splashing down in the Indian Ocean — surviving a re-entry phase that destroyed earlier prototypes.

In another first, Starship successfully deployed mock Starlink satellites using its “Pez-like” dispenser system, a milestone missed in previous tests.