In a first, SpaceX's Starship megarocket completes first ocean splashdown
In a significant milestone for space exploration, SpaceX's colossal Starship rocket successfully completed its first ocean splashdown during a test flight on Thursday. The prototype system, designed to transport humans to the Moon and Mars, launched from SpaceX's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The journey of the most powerful rocket ever built lasted approximately one hour and 6 minutes as it soared into space and coasted halfway across the globe.
Starship survives atmospheric re-entry despite damage
Despite losing many heat-resistant tiles and suffering a damaged flap during its descent over the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia, the spaceship held together and survived atmospheric re-entry. "Despite loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the ocean!," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X. He hailed this as a "great day for humanity's future as a spacefaring civilization."
Starship successfully passed peak heating, max aerodynamic pressure upon re-entry
Super Heavy booster achieves upright splashdown
The Super Heavy booster, the first stage of the rocket, also achieved an upright splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico about seven-and-a-half minutes after liftoff. This success was met with massive applause from SpaceX engineers and staff at mission control in California. The cheers grew even louder as the upper stage glowed a fiery red due to a plasma field generated by the vehicle streaking through the atmosphere. The incredible livestreaming was achieved through Starlink modules installed on the megarocket.
Watch: Super Heavy booter splash down in Gulf of Mexico
SpaceX's next challenge: Developing reusable heat shield
SpaceX's strategy of conducting tests in real-world conditions rather than labs has proven successful in the past. The company has stated that "the payload for these flight tests is data," emphasizing their commitment to learning from each launch. Musk revealed that the next challenge for SpaceX is developing a "fully and immediately reusable orbital heat shield."
SpaceX's Starship contracted for NASA's Artemis program
NASA has contracted a modified version of Starship for its Artemis program, which aims to take astronauts down to the surface of the Moon later this decade. However, SpaceX faces pressure as NASA plans to return astronauts to the Moon by 2026 and China plans its own crewed lunar mission in 2030. The successful test flight brings SpaceX one step closer to fulfilling Musk's ambitious vision of colonizing Mars.
