SpaceX launches Starship megarocket on 11th test flight
8 hours ago
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- #Starship
- #Space Exploration
- SpaceX’s Starship megarocket successfully completed an hour-long test flight, marking the second clean test run for Version 2.
- Starship Version 2 had three in-flight failures and an explosive ground test accident earlier this year.
- SpaceX aims to develop Starship for a NASA moon landing by 2027 amid a new space race.
- Today’s test mission is expected to be the last for the current Starship prototypes; Version 3 will debut next.
- Starship made a fiery splashdown in the Indian Ocean, completing final landing maneuvers smoothly.
- SpaceX intentionally removed heat shield tiles to test Starship’s robustness and identify failure points.
- Starship relit an engine mid-flight, simulating a deorbit burn for future missions.
- Starship deployed mock satellites from a lateral payload door, testing future Starlink satellite deployment.
- Super Heavy rocket booster met its watery demise in the Gulf, hitting its mark during stress testing.
- SpaceX reused a Super Heavy booster from a prior mission, testing new landing configurations.
- SpaceX’s Starlink network has over 7 million customers and nearly 8,600 active satellites in orbit.
- Elon Musk made an accidental appearance on the livestream, expressing excitement for the launch.
- SpaceX is constructing a new launchpad for Version 3 Starship, retiring the current one.
- Florida residents oppose SpaceX’s plans for Starship launches due to noise and environmental concerns.
- SpaceX focuses on Mars colonization, with Starship designed for future human settlements on the red planet.