LOS ANGELES: SpaceX launched the 11th flight test of its giant Starship rocket on Monday. Starship lifted off from the company’s Starbase facility in the U.S. state of Texas at about 6:23 p.m. Central Time. Shortly after liftoff, Starship’s Raptor engines ignited during hot-staging separation.

The Super Heavy booster achieved a targeted splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship upper stage completed its ascent burn and entered a planned coast phase.

The flight test aims to gather data for the next-generation Super Heavy booster, stress-test Starship’s heat shield, and demonstrate maneuvers that will mimic the upper stage’s final approach for future return to the launch site, according to SpaceX.