SpaceX successfully tests Starship, a major step forward for missions to the Moon and Mars
On Sunday morning, SpaceX successfully launched the latest test flight of the Starship, the most powerful rocket system ever built. This system may one day carry humans to the Moon and Mars.
The launch took place at 19:25 Vietnam time on October 13, from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, USA. The flight included the Super Heavy booster rocket, with the uncrewed Starship spacecraft attached on top.
The highlight of this mission was the first time SpaceX attempted the daring maneuver of controlling the 71-meter-tall Super Heavy booster to land back on the launch pad after most of its fuel was consumed and it separated from the Starship above. The booster was successfully "caught" in mid-air by SpaceX's large metal "chopsticks". Meanwhile, the Starship continued its journey, using its six engines before performing a simulated ocean landing. SpaceX did not plan to recover the Starship in this test.
The goal of these milestones is to help SpaceX perfect the rapid reuse of the Super Heavy booster and Starship for future missions. The ability to quickly reuse rocket components is seen as a key factor in SpaceX's goal of significantly reducing the time and cost of sending cargo, or even people, into Earth orbit and deep space.
