SpaceX successfully launched its Starship megarocket Thursday on an uncrewed test flight to orbit and back, achieving several key milestones for the first time.
The nearly 400-foot rocket is the most powerful booster ever developed and SpaceX aims to make the system fully reusable.
It is being designed to carry out missions to the moon and eventually Mars. Starship is expected to play an important part in NASA’s return-to-the-moon program: The agency selected it to carry astronauts to the lunar surface on its Artemis III mission, which could launch in 2026.
Starship lifted off at 8:50 a.m. ET from SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. This was the spacecraft's fourth test flight and the first time it survived the full journey from liftoff to splashdown. However, it's not yet clear how much of the vehicle survived re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere.
Still, the test flight notched several crucial milestones. SpaceX showed that both the Starship spacecraft and the rocket’s first-stage, known as Super Heavy, can survive the fiery trip back through Earth’s atmosphere and make a “soft” and controlled splash down.
Less than 10 minutes after liftoff, Super Heavy executed a successful landing burn for the first time and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico. After cruising in orbit for around 40 minutes, the Starship spacecraft made its re-entry and completed a landing burn for the first time.
Live camera views aboard Starship showed debris and damage to the vehicle before it splashed down in the Indian Ocean, but SpaceX heralded the test flight as a success.
“Congratulations @SpaceX team on an epic achievement,” Elon Musk, the company’s founder and CEO, said on X.
Starship's flight came during a busy week of launches: On Wednesday, Boeing's Starliner capsule launched on its first crewed test flight to the International Space Station.
Relive the launch in slo-mo
SpaceX released a video of Starship's launch in slow-motion, showing the rocket thunder to life and lift off the pad.
'An epic achievement,' Elon Musk says
Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and CEO, called today's test flight an "epic achievement."
"Despite loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the ocean!" he posted on X.
'Toasting' Starship
SpaceX employees toasted marshmallows to celebrate Starship's "toasty" ride through the atmosphere.
It will likely take some time for the company to release data and results from today's outing, but SpaceX continues to make progress with each ambitious Starship test flight.
Starship's first-ever landing burn
Starship appears to have successfully executed its first-ever landing burn before splashing down in the ocean. It's not yet clear how much of the ship survived re-entry through the atmosphere, but mission controllers confirmed that the vehicle completed the key burn.
Still celebrating
Video feeds from Starship have been spotty during re-entry, as is to be expected but you can hear cheers from SpaceX employees at the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California, every time live views return.
"This is a nail-biter," one launch commentator said.
Next up: splashdown
Splashdown is expected in a few minutes, but it's unclear how much of Starship has survived at this point.
Burning up?
Pieces of Starship appear to be burning off as the spacecraft makes its way through the atmosphere.
Debris seems to be covering the onboard cameras, at least one of which now has a cracked lens, but the company still seems to be able to collect data from Starship.
Live views of re-entry
Cameras are capturing incredible live views of Starship's re-entry, showing plasma building around the spacecraft as it travels through the atmosphere.
It's rare to get a real-time look at this intense and high-stakes phase of a space vehicle's return to Earth.
From re-entry to landing
The entire re-entry process is expected to last for about 6 minutes.
If Starship survives the fiery trip through the planet's atmosphere, it should then fire its engines to flip over, then execute a key landing burn before splashing down in the Indian Ocean.
Starship begins re-entry
Starship is now attempting to execute the primary objective of today's test flight: re-entering Earth's atmosphere and splashing down in the Indian Ocean.
There is typically a communications blackout during this time, so it may take some time to confirm if the vehicle has survived the re-entry process.
