Joe Rogan was at Starbase in South Texas to watch a launch that could change the future of space travel. SpaceX’s Starship was taking off for its 11th test flight, the last for this version before a larger, more powerful iteration arrives. Previous testing had resulted in massive explosions and booster failures, so there was a mix of excitement and tension in the air. Elon Musk watched intently, and spectators, including Rogan, wondered if the flight would finally be a success.

Starship, paired with the Super Heavy booster, is designed for rapid reusability and massive payloads. Today’s mission aimed to return both stages safely while testing updated landing techniques, subsonic guidance maneuvers, and in-space engine relights.

The rocket also carried eight dummy Starlink satellites, which simulated the processes required for future Moon and Mars expeditions. Each aspect of the flight was critical, with success or failure determining the timeframe for NASA’s Artemis program and SpaceX’s Mars ambitions. So it wasn’t until the rocket cleared the pad that Joe Rogan let out his excitement.

As Starship soared into the Texas sky, he could be heard screaming in the video he shared on Instagram, “Oh my God. Whoa. Oh, my God. Holy s—. This is so wild.” He further wrote in the caption, “Went to see the @spacex launch live. It was f—— awesome.” Even for a man used to adrenaline rushes, seeing a fully built 403-foot rocket launch successfully clearly left him stunned.

The mission went according to plan. Super Heavy returned to the Gulf of Mexico, while the upper stage splashed down in the Indian Ocean, capping off a perfect sequence of landings, engine relights, and payload deployments. SpaceX also tested small modifications to the booster engine layout in preparation for the next-generation Version 3.

Engineers collected data from heat shield tiles that had been removed to stress-test vulnerable sections, ensuring that lessons learned from Flight 11 are directly applied to future designs. Flight 11 firmly establishes Starship as the largest and most reusable rocket ever built.

With each successful launch, landing, and payload deployment, SpaceX gets closer to Musk’s goal of Moon bases, Mars colonies, and frequent, dependable orbital access. But will that get him all the press attention he deserves? Well, that is quite doubtful, as Joe Rogan previously went all out on the press for their lack of coverage on SpaceX’s recent heroic mission.

Joe Rogan chastises the press for ignoring Elon Musk’s massive feat

Even as SpaceX sets new benchmarks in spaceflight, Joe Rogan has been vocal about the lack of media coverage for these achievements. After years of following Musk’s efforts on The Joe Rogan Experience, he has gained a deep admiration for the creativity and ambition that drive SpaceX.

From reusable rockets to interplanetary dreams, the JRE host believes that feats like Starship Flight 11 should catch the public imagination but are frequently ignored by the media. So, as expected, Joe Rogan didn’t mince words when referencing the press’s silence during SpaceX’s earlier heroic mission to rescue astronauts Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita Williams from the space station.

“They’re trying to s— on everything [Musk] does. Hide all the good stuff. We didn’t hear a peep about Elon rescuing those people,” he said on his podcast back in March. For the UFC commentator, the magnitude of the operation, rescuing astronauts who had spent more than nine months in orbit and were greeted by dolphins upon their return, was tailor-made for a great national event, yet it received little attention in mainstream media.

“Their company went and rescued them. We can’t do it anymore … we had to rely on his company,” he added, highlighting the story’s drama and stakes as undeniable. He urged that such exploits should dominate screens and conversations, citing the public’s fascination with the suspense of the rescue. Joe Rogan sees the lack of coverage as a major omission, highlighting his frustration with media priorities and his continued admiration for Musk’s relentless pursuit of innovation.