Starship Flight 10 Achieves Pinpoint Indian Ocean Splashdown, Video Captured by Unique Buoy Camera

SpaceX's Starship, the colossal rocket designed for future lunar and Martian missions, successfully completed its tenth test flight on August 26, 2025, culminating in a controlled splashdown of its upper stage in the Indian Ocean. This landmark achievement marks a significant step forward for the fully reusable launch system, demonstrating its ability to survive atmospheric re-entry and execute a precise water landing. The Super Heavy booster also performed a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Ship upper stage, designated S37, performed its re-entry and landing burn with remarkable accuracy, splashing down just meters from its intended target. This precision was crucial for capturing unprecedented footage of the event. According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the video of the Starship's descent into the Indian Ocean was captured by an unconventional setup.

Musk revealed the unique camera rig on social media, stating, > "The Starship landing video in the Indian Ocean was taken from a camera bolted to a Starlink terminal sitting in a kiddie pool 😂." This informal description suggests a pragmatic and innovative approach to obtaining critical visual data from the remote splashdown zone. Previous reports indicated SpaceX had positioned a camera-equipped buoy in the target area.

Flight 10 achieved several key objectives, including the first successful deployment of dummy Starlink satellites from Starship and a successful in-space engine relight. The successful splashdown of both stages, particularly the Ship's precise landing despite visible re-entry damage, provides invaluable data for the ongoing development of Starship. This mission's success is a critical validation for SpaceX as it works towards its ambitious goals of making humanity multi-planetary and supporting NASA's Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon.