Third time’s the charm: SpaceX rocket Starship enters orbit after test launch success
SpaceX successfully fired its deep-space rocket Starship into orbit at the third attempt.
The 122-metre craft, which consists of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship craft, blasted off from SpaceX’s Starbase launch pad in Texas on Thursday.
“Starship reached orbital velocity. Congratulations SpaceX team,” SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk said on social media after the launch.
Starship, which SpaceX claims is the most powerful rocket ever built, is part of plans to eventually get humans back to the Moon and carry them on deep-space missions.
By demonstrating Starship’s ability to reach orbit, the company has made progress towards its planned commercial operations.
While reaching orbit was a major feat, contact was lost with the craft when it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere.
The Super Heavy booster was supposed to splashdown in the Indian Ocean after delivering Starship to space, but live footage cut off upon re-entry. SpaceX promised to provide an update on its status.
More than a million people watched the launch, which was broadcast live on SpaceX’s website and on the X social media platform.
Nasa administrator Bill Nelson congratulated the company on the flight. “Congrats to SpaceX on a successful test flight. Starship has soared into the heavens,” he said.
“Together, we are making great strides through Artemis to return humanity to the Moon – then look onward to Mars.”
During Starship’s first test flight in April last year, the craft failed to separate from the booster and fell towards the ground, prompting SpaceX blow up the rocket.
The second test flight took place in November, when the craft reached the edge of space, among other milestones.
But it exploded as a result of issues in its landing sequence, believed to have been caused by engine and fuel system malfunctions. The craft successfully separated from the booster and flew solo for seven minutes, but broke apart after a leak, which caused a fire that led to the loss of communication between the capsule and mission control.
The flight was terminated when the craft was at an altitude of about 150km.
Mr Musk has voiced hope that the rocket will eventually send humans to Mars and help mankind become a multi-planetary species.
But SpaceX has more immediate commitments with Starship, including a $2.89 billion contract with Nasa to land humans on the Moon.
Starship was selected for Artemis 3, a 2026 mission in which astronauts will attempt a lunar landing. If successful, it would be the first time people have set foot on the Moon since the final Apollo mission in 1972.
Mr Musk has already sold seats on Starship, including to Japanese billionaire and art collector Yusaku Maezawa, who plans to be on board the first crewed flight to the Moon, taking eight artists with him as part of his dearMoon programme.
US billionaire Jared Isaacman is also working with SpaceX on his Polaris series of privately led space missions.