SpaceX's Starship rocket embarked on its fourth test flight.
The immense SpaceX Starship rocket is embarking on its fourth test flight. Measuring a whopping 120 meters long, the spacecraft blasted off from its Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, at 7:50 a.m. local time (14:50 GMT) on Thursday, as per SpaceX. The mission entails circling Earth for approximately an hour before safely descending back to the atmosphere. The first three test flights saw the rocket meeting an explosive fate.
SpaceX previously shared that its primary goals for this fourth flight are to showcase the capability of returning and reusing the Starship rocket. The brainchild of US billionaire Elon Musk, the on-going mission aims to spearhead the transportation of human beings to Mars in the distant future. Currently, the Starship rocket is being considered as a key asset in NASA's plans to return to the Moon as well.
NASA is planning to send astronauts back to the Moon for the first time since the 60s in 2026., utilizing a modified version of the Starship. The Artemis 3 mission requires the new colossal rocket to attain space then receive refueling from multiple "Starship tankers" to embark on the journey to the lunar surface.
The first test flight in April 2023 ended disastrously as it lost control and exploded mid-air. The second endeavor in November 2023 saw another explosion after a successful launch, only to occur post its separation from the booster stage. The third attempt took place in mid-March, where the rocket traveled further than the previous attempts before being announced as a 'loss' 49 minutes after taking off.
Since then, SpaceX has allegedly made several adjustments to the hardware and software of the spacecraft. In line with the company's established pattern, these changes involve using prototypes for tests under real-world conditions as opposed to lab experiments. This approach has proven effective earlier.
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The fourth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, which is 120 meters long, is taking place from its Boca Chica launch site in Texas. This test flight aims to demonstrate the Starship's capability of returning and reusing, a goal set by SpaceX and Elon Musk. Previously, the first three test flights had ended in explosions.
