Monday, October 13, 2025

Finally, the main reason we came down to Texas this week, the Starship’s Eleventh Flight Test in Boca Chica. We have a fourth floor condo on South Padre Island, with a direct view of the launch pad about 5 miles south of us. We’ve seen several launches, but they never cease to fill us with awe, whether successful or not. These are tests, after all, so SpaceX learns as much, maybe more, from the “fails” as they do from the successes.

This launch is currently scheduled for 6:15 this evening. The schedule is a moving target, though. Changes in the weather, minor equipment glitches, even boats sailing too close to the base, can cause delays. The weather looks great, with mostly clear skies, giving us a perfect view.

Two days ago, we visited Starbase to watch the Starship being transported from the SpaceX assembly plant to the launch pad, where it was later placed atop the booster.

Yesterday, we came back to see the assembled ship and booster on the pad.

We also did some exploring around the newly incorporated city of Starbase, which is growing by leaps and bounds. There are hundreds of new residences near the assembly plant, and more being built nearby. It’s possible that Starbase city has more Tesla cybertrucks per capita than any other community in the US. There is a small grocery store, some lovely parks, a swimming pool and restaurants for the residents and visitors.

Launch day at last! The launch was delayed a few minutes, to about 6:23pm because of boats that needed to be cleared for safety. Things proceeded as soon as all was deemed safe for the ship to lift off.

Shortly after liftoff, the booster dropped into the Gulf of Mexico as intended, and we heard a few sonic booms.

The ship continued for another hour, dropping into the Indian Ocean, where it exploded upon impact. We watch a video feed of SpaceX employees cheering at the end of another successful launch.