SpaceX Starship makes successful test flight but is lost during re-entry
- Mission lasted longer than the past two SpaceX attempts, which each ended quickly in explosions
- SpaceX’s Starship rocket is designed to eventually send Nasa astronauts to the moon and beyond
Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket, flew further and faster than ever before during its third test launch, although it was eventually lost as it re-entered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, SpaceX said.
Lift-off from the company’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas came at 8.25am local time on Thursday and was carried live on a webcast watched by millions on social media platform X.
The sleek mega rocket is vital to Nasa’s plans for landing astronauts on the moon later this decade – and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s hopes of eventually colonising Mars.
“Congrats to @SpaceX on a successful test flight!” tweeted Nasa administrator Bill Nelson following the mission.
Scrutiny was high for Thursday’s test flight after two prior attempts ended in spectacular explosions – all part of what the company says is an acceptable cost in its rapid trial-and-error approach to accelerate development.
