After separation from the upper stage, the lower-stage booster will attempt to return to Starbase to land at its launch tower. The company achieved the feat during the fifth flight of Starship on Oct. 13 but was unable to repeat it on the sixth flight in November. That booster diverted to a water landing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Elon Musk's SpaceX said on Friday its upcoming Starship test flight would include the rocket's first attempt to deploy payloads in space by releasing 10 model Starlink satellites, a key demonstration for Starship's potential in the satellite launch market.

As SpaceX prepares for a possible Jan. 10 launch of its Starship rocket, Elon Musk's company says it's made special improvements in time for the seventh flight test out of South Texas. "The upcoming flight test will launch a new generation ship with significant upgrades,

During its next test, currently scheduled for Jan. 10, the Starship vehicle will carry a payload meant to replicate 10 next-generation Starlink satellites.