On its 10th flight test, SpaceX successfully launched its Super-Heavy Starship spacecraft and rocket booster. The launch comes two days late in a crucial attempt to bounce back after three serious failures.
At 7:30 p.m. local time Tuesday, the Starship’s 33 engines fired up, lifting the 40-story rocket off the ground at SpaceX’s launch site in Texas. Starship is supposed to eventually fly back and be caught at the launch site. With SpaceX still testing, it was intentionally landed in the Indian Ocean after the flight.
Crews had attempted to launch on Sunday and Monday, but had to cancel both attempts due to technical and weather problems.
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Starship faces a string of failures
Since January, there have been several failures with Starship launches, which began when SpaceX introduced a new version of the vehicle. No Starship flight has gone completely smoothly since November 2024. Every launch since then has had some kind of issue, including explosions, malfunctions or mission failures.
This flight is expected to be one of the last for this iteration of the Starship and Super Heavy rocket. SpaceX plans to debut an even larger prototype of the vehicle next year.
Mars remains the long-term goal
SpaceX needed and wanted this test flight to succeed because they’re looking to find and fix any problems quickly. Their goal is to soon start using the rocket for missions, including launching more Starlink satellites and eventually transporting people and equipment to Mars for space exploration and colonization.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says his spaceflight company plans to begin unmanned missions to Mars with Starship next year. Their goal, over time, is to send millions of humans to Mars.
The version of the Starship and Super Heavy rocket being launched in this flight is nearing the end of its use. SpaceX is almost done testing and flying this particular version of the rocket. The company plans to introduce a newer, larger version of the rocket next year.
