SpaceX has pulled off a successful test flight of its newest generation rocket Starship, reversing a trend of disappointing failures. The world's largest and most powerful rocket blasted off from Texas just after 18:30 local time (23:30 BST) for a nail-biting 60-minute flight. Parts of the engine appeared to explode at one stage, and flaps on the side of the rocket caught fire and swung from side-to-side. US space agency NASA plans to use Starship to send humans to the Moon for its Artemis program in 2027, aiming for a significant milestone in lunar exploration.
Great work by the SpaceX team!! posted SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on X. This success comes after three earlier Starship launches ended in failure this year, with one rocket exploding on the launch pad in June. Starship is designed to be a fully reusable transport system capable of carrying people to the Moon and Mars. The test flight began positively, as the booster’s 33 engines fired up. After about seven minutes, the booster separated and fell into the Gulf of Mexico, whereas the Starship continued to ascend, reaching nearly 200 km above Earth before coasting around the planet.
Despite facing issues where parts of the rocket’s flaps burned and swung wildly during the descent, this flight signifies a critical step forward in demonstrating the rocket's capabilities. Musk aims for the Starship to be certified for human travel as early as next year, with uncrewed flights to Mars expected within the next 12 months.
While there are concerns over Musk's focus on US politics instead of the rocket's development, this successful launch gives hope that SpaceX can demonstrate its capability of reliably transporting humans to the Moon. Ultimately, this event marks a major achievement in space technology and engineering.
Great work by the SpaceX team!! posted SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on X. This success comes after three earlier Starship launches ended in failure this year, with one rocket exploding on the launch pad in June. Starship is designed to be a fully reusable transport system capable of carrying people to the Moon and Mars. The test flight began positively, as the booster’s 33 engines fired up. After about seven minutes, the booster separated and fell into the Gulf of Mexico, whereas the Starship continued to ascend, reaching nearly 200 km above Earth before coasting around the planet.
Despite facing issues where parts of the rocket’s flaps burned and swung wildly during the descent, this flight signifies a critical step forward in demonstrating the rocket's capabilities. Musk aims for the Starship to be certified for human travel as early as next year, with uncrewed flights to Mars expected within the next 12 months.
While there are concerns over Musk's focus on US politics instead of the rocket's development, this successful launch gives hope that SpaceX can demonstrate its capability of reliably transporting humans to the Moon. Ultimately, this event marks a major achievement in space technology and engineering.
