SpaceX's Starship passes development rut, deploys first mock satellites

SpaceX‘s Starship rocket on Tuesday deployed its first batch of mock Starlink satellites in space and tested new heat shield tiles on its plunge through Earth’s atmosphere, clinching development milestones that had been held up by a streak of previous testing failures

SpaceX‘s Starship rocket on Tuesday deployed its first batch of mock Starlink satellites in space and tested new heat shield tiles on its plunge through Earth’s atmosphere, clinching development milestones that had been held up by a streak of previous testing failures.

The giant 403-foot-tall (123 m) Starship system in its tenth test flight lifted off around 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT) from SpaceX‘s Starbase facilities in south Texas, followed by its towering Super Heavy booster releasing the Starship upper stage into space three minutes later, dozens of miles above ground.

Cruising in space some 30 minutes into the flight, Starship’s “Pez”-like satellite deployment system dispensed eight dummy Starlink satellites for the first time, a key demonstration for a rocket that represents the future of SpaceX‘s dominant launch business.