Shortly after launching its Starship rocket for the sixth time, SpaceX opted out of performing a booster catch, letting the rocket’s first stage dive into the ocean as an alternative. It’s not the consequence the corporate hoped for, however information from the flight will undoubtedly inform future makes an attempt.
Starship lifted off on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas for its sixth built-in take a look at flight. The suborbital launch was supposed to incorporate the Tremendous Heavy booster being caught by the huge Mechazilla tower after reentry, however SpaceX declared it a no-go for the booster catch roughly 4 minutes after liftoff.
Starship shortly after launch on November 19, 2024. Photograph: C&J Pictures
“Lots of issues must go nicely for that to line up,” a SpaceX spokesperson defined in the course of the reside broadcast. As an alternative, the booster needed to carry out a tender soggy touchdown off the coast in Texas as a result of not all standards for a catch had been met, SpaceX added. The corporate cited security considerations for the workforce, the general public, and the launch pad itself as the rationale why SpaceX skipped the booster catch try, based on the printed.
Tremendous Heavy initiates its touchdown burn and softly splashes down within the Gulf of Mexico pic.twitter.com/BZ3Az4GssC
The booster’s splashdown was nonetheless spectacular to observe, as the huge rocket slowed down on its approach to the floor of the water earlier than gently diving in like a humpback whale after a full breach. On its approach down, the booster lit up 13 of its engines earlier than paring right down to solely three engines proper earlier than splashdown, which befell round seven minutes after launch.
Starship’s sixth take a look at flight did embrace another milestones, together with the re-lighting of one of many rocket’s six Raptor engines in area for the primary time. The rocket additionally carried its first payload, a stuffed toy within the form of a banana (try the picture within the above tweet, exhibiting the lone banana), which served as a zero gravity indicator. The Starship higher stage managed to outlive reentry and carry out a managed tender splashdown within the Indian Ocean at 6:05 p.m. ET.
Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to your complete SpaceX workforce on an thrilling sixth flight take a look at of Starship! pic.twitter.com/bf98Va9qmL
Earlier in October, Starship launched for a groundbreaking fifth take a look at flight. For the primary time, the rocket’s Tremendous Heavy 232-foot-tall (71 meters) booster gently got here down in the direction of the tower, which caught the rocket with its prolonged mechanical arms like a large pair of chopsticks.
This 12 months noticed Starship inch nearer in the direction of operational flights, with every take a look at flight proving extra profitable than the one earlier than it. SpaceX launched its Starship rocket for the first time in April 2023, however its debut was lower than excellent because the car entered right into a deadly tumble that pressured floor controllers to challenge a self-destruct command proper earlier than the four-minute mark of the mission.
Starship’s sixth take a look at flight additionally included a particular visitor: President-elect Donald Trump, who attended the launch in Texas alongside his new good friend Musk. The pair’s rising alliance is perhaps a sign that Musk could get his want and see Starship fly extra ceaselessly by subsequent 12 months.
