SpaceX launched another Starship rocket on Tuesday, but did not attempt to catch the booster with its giant mechanical arms as previously planned. Following the successful recovery in last month’s test, the booster was instead directed to a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico after just four minutes into the flight for unspecified reasons. The booster made contact with the water three minutes later, as SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot noted that not all criteria for a booster catch were met.
The empty spacecraft ascended from Texas and executed a near loop around the globe, targeting the Indian Ocean for a controlled, albeit destructive, landing at the end of the hour-long demonstration. This test marks another advancement in the development of the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, which both SpaceX and NASA aim to use for returning astronauts to the Moon and, eventually, Mars.
Notably, SpaceX altered some procedural steps compared to previous launches, including shifting the launch time to late afternoon to allow for better visibility of the spacecraft’s descent. New objectives included igniting one of the engines in space, a crucial requirement for future returns from orbit, as well as conducting thermal protection experiments. Certain areas of the spacecraft were intentionally left without heat tiles to evaluate the effectiveness of proposed catch mechanisms in future tests. There are additional upgrades planned for subsequent flights.
In a show of support for SpaceX, president-elect Donald Trump attended the launch, reflecting a growing relationship between him and Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX.
SpaceX has ambitious plans to achieve full recycling of the entire 400-foot Starship, which would significantly reduce costs and expedite trips to the Moon and Mars. The company’s Falcon rockets have already demonstrated cost-effective reuse, paving the way for similar success with Starship. NASA is investing over $4 billion in SpaceX to utilize Starship for back-to-back missions to land astronauts on the Moon later this decade. Musk also envisions the launch of a fleet of Starships to eventually establish a city on Mars.
This launch marks the sixth fully assembled Starship launch since the beginning of 2023; the first three launches faced challenges resulting in explosions.
In conclusion, despite some setbacks, SpaceX is pushing forward with innovative testing and ambitious plans, showcasing resilience in the face of challenges and signaling a hopeful trajectory towards future space exploration endeavors.