Giant rocket withstands fourth trial in the skies.
Following three unsuccessful tries, Elon Musk can now exhale: The fourth test flight of his "Starship" was a complete triumph. This mammoth rocket, a record-breaker, flew through the air for over an hour and made a successful descent into the Indian Ocean after a brief stint in space. Musk's space firm, SpaceX, anticipates transporting humans soon.
The largest rocket ever built in space history accomplished a triumphant fourth trial run. The uncrewed "Starship" blasted off from SpaceX's private spaceport in Texas, as live footage displayed. Once the booster and upper rocket sections separated, the booster descended safely and as intended into the Gulf of Mexico. The upper rocket stage touched outer space, resided there for approximately half an hour, appeared damaged during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, and then triumphantly touched down for the first time on a landing site just before diving into the Indian Ocean. The trial concluded in around an hour and was met with raucous cheers and applause in SpaceX's control room.
Among previous attempts, the first test in April witnessed the entire rocket system blowing up after just a few minutes, while the second test in November saw the two stages separating and the upper one continuing to fly, but both eventually exploded. The third test flight in March achieved space flight for the first time, but the mission could not be concluded as planned. SpaceX continually stresses that the purpose of the tests is to gather data.
The "Starship"- comprising the 70-meter-long "Super Heavy" booster and the 50-meter-long upper rocket stage also labeled "Starship"- aims to facilitate manned missions to the Moon and Mars. The system is crafted so that both the spacecraft and rocket can be reused once they return to Earth. The entire system, inclusive of the 120-meter-long rocket, is projected to carry more than 100 tons of cargo in the future. NASA has plans to deliver astronauts to the Moon via the "Starship." In the future, SpaceX envisions conducting journeys to Mars with the system.
