On Sunday, SpaceX achieved a major milestone with its fifth test flight of the Starship rocket, successfully landing the booster back on the launch pad for the first time.
The launch took place at 8:25 a.m. Central Time (1325 GMT) from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas. After liftoff, the rocket’s “Super Heavy” booster returned and was caught by the arms of the launch tower, marking a significant step toward making Starship a fully reusable spacecraft.
Starship followed a familiar flight path similar to previous tests, re-entering Earth’s atmosphere before splashing down in the Indian Ocean.
Starship is a two-stage fully reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle under development by SpaceX. As of September 2024, it is the biggest and most powerful rocket ever to fly. SpaceX has developed Starship to lower launch costs using economies of scale.
The Starship system, consisting of the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy rocket, is designed to be a reusable transportation solution for crew and cargo. Its purpose extends beyond low Earth orbit to missions on the Moon, Mars, and deeper into space. The rocket is also a cornerstone of NASA’s Artemis program, intended to return astronauts to the lunar surface, with SpaceX securing a multibillion-dollar contract to develop Starship as a crewed lunar lander.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted SpaceX the license for this fifth flight on Saturday, earlier than expected. However, SpaceX had aimed for an even earlier launch and was vocal in its criticism of the FAA, citing delays caused by “unnecessary environmental reviews.” Despite this, the FAA, in coordination with other U.S. agencies, sped up their assessments, though SpaceX has faced fines from environmental regulators related to unauthorized water discharges at its Texas launch site.
