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SpaceX catches upper stage of Starship rocket in historic first
SpaceX said the catch shows Starship can be fully reused for moon missions, Mars plans and Starlink launches after releasing 26 satellites.
- On Saturday, SpaceX's Starship spacecraft returned from its longest-yet flight and was caught in midair by giant mechanical arms at the launch pad, completing the 407-foot rocket's journey that began late Friday afternoon from the Starship base in Texas.
- The first-stage booster exploded shortly after Friday's liftoff when its engines stopped firing too soon, prompting SpaceX engineer Kate Tice to explain that the guidance system sensed improper positioning and automatically initiated self-destruction into the Gulf of Mexico.
- Separating from the booster, the upper-stage spacecraft soared into orbit for over 22 hours, circling Earth 14 times while releasing 26 advanced Starlink satellites during the mission.
- This successful return marks a key milestone in SpaceX's multibillion-dollar development of a fully reusable rocket, as NASA is paying billions for Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon and build a permanent lunar base.
- Elon Musk intends to use Starships to build a city on Mars, while NASA targets as soon as 2028 for Artemis IV and SpaceX expects to begin launching Starships from Florida's Kennedy Space Center within the next few months.
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About 20 hours after the launch, the Starship returns to the Starbase space station in the U.S. state of Texas under control, where it is picked up by griffon arms at the launch tower. Previously, there had been a setback on the 15th test flight.
·Berlin, Germany
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volksfreund.deReposted by 
Handelsblatt
HandelsblattWith the largest rocket system ever built in space history, Elon Musk wants to open up Mars. Now the Starship has completed a test flight again - with a setback and a success.
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Total News Sources41
Leaning Left14Leaning Right4Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution47% Left
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources lean Left
47% Left
L 47%
C 40%
13%
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