SpaceX's Starship mega rocket, the world's biggest and most powerful, completed its fourth test flight on June 6, 2024. The rocket returned to Earth without exploding after blasting off from Texas. This marked a significant milestone for SpaceX as the previous three flights ended in explosions.
The first-stage booster separated from the spacecraft and splashed into the Gulf of Mexico precisely as planned, while Starship reached an altitude of nearly 130 miles (211 kilometers) before beginning its descent. Despite some damage, including loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the Indian Ocean.
This successful test flight brings SpaceX closer to its goal of reusing the rocket for future missions, including NASA's plan to get humanity back to the moon and eventually Mars. The FAA signed off on this fourth demo, stating that all safety requirements had been met.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed the landing via Twitter: “Despite loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the ocean!”
The latest test made major strides toward that goal, as both stages managed to stick their landings over water. The upcoming mission profile of SpaceX's Starship rocket was further achieved than in previous tests.
Starship is designed to be fully reusable, and this controlled landing is intended as practice for planned future landings. Nothing was recovered from the flight.
