In a groundbreaking achievement, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has successfully launched and landed Starship, the most powerful and largest rocket ever constructed. The momentous event took place at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas.
Launch and Landing
Starship’s booster separated as planned, splashing down in the ocean, while the spacecraft itself completed a full orbit around the Earth before executing a landing burn and descending into the ocean. Despite losing several heat-protective tiles and sustaining damage to one of its descent-controlling flaps, SpaceX managed to maintain control of the spacecraft throughout its mission.
“Despite loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the ocean!” Musk tweeted. “Congratulations SpaceX team on an epic achievement!!”
Progress and Future Plans
This successful mission marks a significant milestone for SpaceX, which has seen previous Starship tests end in destruction at various stages of flight. The company has announced plans to conduct its next Starship test mission “soon.”
Technical Achievements and Objectives
This fourth test flight of Starship is part of NASA’s and Musk’s long-term goal to eventually transport humans to the Moon and Mars. For these initial tests, however, the spacecraft has been uncrewed. Starship, nearly 400 feet tall, lifted off over the Gulf of Mexico, heading eastward. The first-stage booster performed as planned, separating from the spacecraft mid-flight.
Mission Control and Milestones
Kate Tice, SpaceX launch commentator, confirmed the mission’s success from company headquarters in California: “And we have splashdown!” This successful splashdown is a critical step in SpaceX’s objective to eventually return Starship’s super-heavy booster to its launch site for reuse.
Starship continued its journey, completing a half-lap around the Earth before splashing down in the Indian Ocean. The landing burn performed by Starship aimed to ease its descent into the water, and SpaceX indicated that the splashdown proceeded as planned.
Past Challenges and Upgrades
A previous version of Starship nearly succeeded in March but lost contact and exploded before completing its mission. Last year’s tests ended in explosions shortly after launch. To address these issues, SpaceX upgraded the rocket’s software and made structural changes to improve flight success. The Federal Aviation Administration approved this fourth demo, ensuring all safety requirements were met.
Reusability and Future Missions
Starship is designed for full reusability, which is why controlling both the booster’s ocean entry and the spacecraft’s descent was crucial for this test. While nothing will be recovered from this flight, the practice is invaluable for future missions.
NASA has commissioned two Starships for upcoming moon-landing missions within the decade. These missions will see astronauts use NASA’s rockets to reach lunar orbit, where they will transfer to Starship for the descent to the Moon’s surface.
Space Tourism and Vision for Mars
SpaceX is already marketing tourist trips around the moon. The first private lunar customer, a Japanese tycoon, recently withdrew from the trip due to schedule delays.
Elon Musk’s vision extends far beyond the Moon. He envisions fleets of Starships carrying people and infrastructure to establish a city on Mars, marking a new era in space exploration and human settlement.
