SpaceX’s Starship carrier rocket for Moon and Mars missions has completed a test flight after recent failures.
Starship, a heavy-lift two-stage rocket powered by 33 Raptor engines, took off from the SpaceX Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, at 7.30pm local time on Tuesday evening.
The test flight success was important for the development timeline of Starship, which is to play a central role in sending Nasa astronauts and cargo to the Moon and later to the Red Planet.
“Starship’s 10th flight test provided valuable data by stressing the limits of vehicle capabilities and providing maximum excitement along the way,” SpaceX said in a statement after the flight.
Turning point after setbacks
The first-stage Super Heavy booster performed a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship upper stage reached space, deployed dummy Starlink satellites and returned for a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
This was the 10th flight of the rocket, following back-to-back failed flight test attempts in January, March and May.
On June 19, a ground test of the Starship ended with the vehicle blowing up.
A video posted on social media showed Starship 36 erupting into a fireball during a static fire test, where the rocket is partially fuelled and engines are ignited. This incident caused a delay in the launch attempt.
Mr Musk has always carried out a rapid development approach for his company’s rockets, building and testing them quickly to gather data and make improvements.
SpaceX may now speed up testing of Starship following an executive order this month from US President Donald Trump which will put the approval of launch licences on a fast track.
The directive, called Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry, asks federal agencies including the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration to speed up the review process for space flight licences and remove outdated regulations.
It also asks the Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, to “eliminate or expedite” environmental reviews for launch and re-entry licences and permits.
Sarath Raj, project director of the Satellite Ground Station at Dubai's Amity University, has told The National that the Trump order will “significantly accelerate” rocket development.
“This substantial increase from the previous limit allows SpaceX to implement a rapid iterative testing campaign, quickly identifying and rectifying design or operational flaws through frequent flight data,” Dr Raj said.
“Each launch provides invaluable real-world performance data crucial for refining the Starship system, including its novel full reusability aspects.”
Mr Musk is also developing Starship to further his goal of “making life multiplanetary” and hopes to send astronauts to Mars.
