Spacex launch has brought mankind a step closer to stars

ELON MUSK has previously quipped that he wants to die on Mars: “Just not on impact.”

That dream still has some way to go after Spacex’s Starship vanished during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere yesterday, missing its scheduled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Nevertheless, the mission hit important milestones, with Starship reaching space for the first time where it floated serenely for nearly an hour before its final fiery demise.

It is the biggest object to ever leave the Earth and this time was not bedevilled by the “rapid unscheduled disassembly” that has plagued earlier launches. For those unfamiliar with Musk-speak, this means that it did not explode on take-off.

After congratulating the team, he took to X, formerly Twitter, to promise that Starship would “take humanity to Mars” and “make life multiplanetary”.

It’s an incredible claim, but if anyone can achieve it, it is Spacex.

While most other space companies were designing rockets to launch from Earth, for the past decade Spacex has been building ones that can land and take off from the Moon and Mars.

Their reusable rockets are primarily intended for the Martian and lunar surfaces where there will be no runways or landing pads.

The vast size is also critical for carrying the millions of pounds of cargo that will be needed to build extraterrestrial self-sustaining cities.

Nasa is relying on Starship to return humans to the Moon in 2026 under its Artemis programme, but the company sees this mission as simply a proving ground for ventures further afield.

Thomas Zurbuchen, Nasa’s former head of science described the launch as like “seeing into the future”.

He is right. For the first time in history, a vehicle capable of carrying 100 people has left Earth and flown in space. In its pioneering spirit, Starship feels less like the Space Shuttle and more like The Mayflower.

It is worth remembering it took just 66 years between the Wright Brothers first flight and the Apollo 11 moon landing. So think what could be achieved in the next 66 years.

Certainly by then Musk will have made an impact on Mars. Hopefully not on entry.