Starship launch blasted off on Friday (May 22) from SpaceX's Starbase test site in South Texas, at 6:30 p.m. EDT (5:30 p.m. local time or 2230 GMT). The massive ship made a sojourn in suborbital space before both the Starship Super Heavy booster and its Ship upper stage made fiery splashdowns to conclude the mission.

Incredible Views Of SpaceX Starship Re-Entering Earth's Atmosphere. Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX stacked Starship 24 onto Super Heavy booster. The rocket is being prepped for a test flight in the near future. Credit: SpaceX | mash mix by Space.com's Steve Spaleta

For the first time, we have an outsider’s view of what Starship endures on the way home. Two small camera satellites, released from the vehicle during its Flight 12 test mission in May 2026, trailed behind the ship as it slammed back into Earth’s atmosphere and captured live images of its heat shield tiles glowing

SpaceX had announced a last-minute cancellation of its Starship megarocket prototype's 12th test flight on Thursday.