Starship Flight 10

Three consecutive Block 2 Starships had failed, and a fourth — Ship 36, prepared for Flight 10 — was destroyed on the ground on 18 June 2025 when a nitrogen tank in its nose cone burst under propellant loading, below its rated pressure. Flight 10 was rolled with Ship 37 in its place.

On 26 August 2025, Booster 16 and Ship 37 lifted from Starbase in the early evening. All thirty-three booster engines fired; one shut down during ascent, and the booster continued on its simulated engine-out profile and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico. Ship 37 reached its target trajectory and deployed all eight of its Starlink mass simulators through the side-mounted dispenser — the programme's first successful payload release.

A single Raptor relit in space, and the ship began reentry. An explosion in the engine compartment — possibly originating in the chill lines — caused substantial damage to the aft section, but the vehicle held attitude through descent and splashed down within three metres of its target in the Indian Ocean.