This is the fourth test for Starship, and this time, it returned successfully to earth.
The mammoth"Starship" lifted off shortly before 8 a.m. CT from Boca Chica, Texas. One of the 33 engines on its"super heavy" booster failed seconds after liftoff , but the rocket still rumbled off the pad and made a smooth ascent to space.
Nevertheless, the mammoth craft appeared to stay under control as it descended through the atmosphere. It's battered flaps shifted and put it into a vertical position. Cheers erupted from SpaceX headquarters at Hawthorne, Calif. as the craft appeared to touch down in the ocean as expected. Outside observers say that the fact both the spacecraft and its booster appeared to return to earth in one piece is a major milestone. This latest test flight puts the Starship program"over the hump" towards actually flying payloads to orbit around the earth, says Jonathan McDowell, a researcher at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory who tracks spaceflight.
Meanwhile the super-heavy booster also had issues. Its engines failed to re-light properly as it reentered the atmosphere and fell back towards earth. It broke apart above the Gulf of Mexico.SpaceX made several modifications to the Starship in preparation for its fourth launch. Engineers added extra roll-control thrusters to keep it from tumbling. They also made modifications to help the super-heavy booster more reliably relight its engines.
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