LOS ANGELES, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- SpaceX launched the 11th flight test of its giant Starship rocket on Monday.

Starship lifted off from the company's Starbase facility in Texas at about 6:23 p.m. Central Time (2323 GMT).

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.

Starship successfully deployed eight Starlink simulator satellites that followed the same suborbital trajectory and were expected to burn up upon reentry.

In space, Starship reignited one of its Raptor engines before beginning a controlled reentry, executing a banking maneuver that simulates the final approach it would take when returning to Starbase for a catch on future missions.

The Starship ultimately splashed down in the Indian Ocean after just over an hour in flight.

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