Musk rocket ‘will make life multiplanetary’
Tycoon’s Starship can return humanity to the Moon – then look onward to Mars, says Nasa chief
ELON MUSK has claimed his Starship rocket will “make life multiplanetary” after it reached space and re-entered the atmosphere for the first time.
The Spacex founder’s comments came after the world’s largest spacecraft carried out its third test flight in Texas yesterday. In a post published shortly after the mission, Musk, who has long harboured ambitions of colonising Mars, said: “Starship reached orbital velocity! Congratulations Spacex team! Starship will make life multiplanetary.”
The launch represented a step forward for Spacex’s Starship programme, with the mission lasting more than an hour and passing several milestones.
The 400ft-tall rocket, which is made up of two stages, blasted off at 8.25am local time before rapidly climbing to reach the boundary of space. Three minutes into the flight, its booster stage, called Super Heavy, detached from its upper rocket ship, which then accelerated away from the Earth. Starship is the largest object ever to enter orbit.
Moments later, staff at Spacex’s Texas headquarters roared as the rocket shut down its engines to coast above the Pacific Ocean for the first time after reaching a speed of about 16,500 miles per hour and an altitude of more than 120 miles.
It was not expected to return to earth in one piece, with both the booster and Starship halves of the spacecraft intended to splash down into the ocean.
However, the test was not a complete success as Spacex lost contact with its ship after it re-entered the atmosphere. This led to cameras and satellite signals failing, with the spaceship destroyed as it descended towards the Indian Ocean.
The Super Heavy booster used to transport the spacecraft into orbit also crashed into the Gulf of Mexico after separating from Starship, which was caused after its engines failed to fully reignite for a soft landing at sea.
The company also skipped a test to reignite Starship’s engines while in space, something that will be crucial for safely landing the spacecraft.
While the test lacked the spectacle of Spacex’s reusable rocket launches, in which the vehicles land vertically on launch pads, it provided views of the Earth and a glimpse of its rocket’s hull glowing with plasma as it descended.
Musk, 52, did not appear to be present at Spacex mission control during the launch, having held meetings in Germany and France on Wednesday.
The launch was delayed by more than an hour because of weather conditions at Spacex’s Starbase headquarters in Boca Chica, Texas.
Spacex said it was watching wind conditions in the run-up to the launch, while there was also heavy fog. However, skies cleared before the launch.
Following yesterday’s mission, Bill Nelson, the administrator of Nasa, said: “Starship has soared into the heavens. Together, we are making great strides through Artemis to return humanity to the Moon – then look onward to Mars.”