SpaceX has achieved a historic milestone in the development of reusable space systems.
The most powerful rocket ever built has completed its record-breaking 13th test flight. The ship's core stage made its softest controlled splashdown yet, landing completely intact on the surface of the Indian Ocean.
Success in Space and Perfect Landing
The 124-meter-tall rocket successfully lifted off from the Starbase range in Texas after several technical delays earlier this month. During the hour-long mission, the spacecraft deployed 20 real operational satellites of the next-generation Starlink V3 for the first time, and then performed a critical 14-second re-ignition of the Raptor engine in outer space.
Despite the extreme plasma during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, the Starship V3's upgraded heat shield withstood the strain. The device smoothly transitioned from a horizontal planing to a vertical position and successfully landed its thousands of tons in a pre-calculated area in the Indian Ocean, preserving a video signal and telemetry even after contact with water. Company representatives described the re-entry as a pure “dream scenario“.
Problems with the first stage of the Super Heavy
However, the mission was not entirely without anomalies. The first stage of the system - the Super Heavy booster (Booster 20), failed to ignite the required number of engines during the final maneuver over the Gulf of Mexico. Due to a lack of sufficient thrust, the booster suffered a hard landing and exploded upon impact with the water surface at a speed of more than 160 km/h.
Despite this partial failure with the booster, the flight data gives SpaceX the green light to prepare for the first fully orbital flight with Flight 14. Engineers are rushing with the tests, as a modified Starship is to serve as a lunar vehicle for NASA's Artemis mission.