Elon Musk's SpaceX - "Starship" megamissile system successfully completes fourth trial launch
The biggest rocket system ever created for space exploration has successfully taken off on its fourth test flight. After three previous unsuccessful attempts, Elon Musk's SpaceX facility in Texas launched the "Starship," an unmanned rocket, which made its way skyward on Thursday.
The major milestone for the "Starship" was marked when the booster detached and touched down perfectly in the Gulf of Mexico. The upper stage, dubbed "Starship" too, ascended to space for thirty minutes before incurring damage during its return to Earth. In its final descent, the upper stage managed to achieve a controlled crash landing for the first time ever before sinking into the Indian Ocean. The journey lasted an hour and was greeted with cheers and applause from the SpaceX control room.
Testing is Key: SpaceX's Goal is Space Exploration
Previously in April, there was a catastrophic explosion of the entire rocket system just a few minutes after its launch. In November, the two rocket segments separated and the upper stage continued to fly, but both exploded soon after. The March test resulted in the "Starship" reaching space, but wasn't able to complete its mission. SpaceX has been very clear about their goals for these tests with a focus on data collection.
The ambitious "Starship" project, which combines a 70-meter long booster – "Super Heavy" – and the 50-meter long upper stage, aims to support human missions to the Moon and Mars. SpaceX intends to re-use the spacecraft and rocket once they return, which will help it reduce costs. The overall Starship system is a monstrous 120 meters in length, having the potential to transport over 100 tons of cargo in the near future. NASA will send astronauts to the Moon with the "Starship", while SpaceX hopes to one day make their way to Mars.
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The Gulf of Mexico served as the landing site for the SpaceX booster following the successful fourth test flight of the 'Starship' megamissile system. Elon Musk's SpaceX is aiming to utilize the 'Starship' for future missions to both the Moon and Mars, aiming to reduce costs through reusability. After the successful test flight, Ocean-based recovery and reuse of the 'Starship' is a potential step towards achieving these goals.
