SpaceX successfully completed its fifth Starship test flight on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in its efforts to develop a reusable vehicle for missions to the Moon and Mars.
For the first time, the company returned the towering first stage booster to its launch pad in Texas using innovative mechanical arms. This achievement showcases SpaceX’s engineering prowess and commitment to reusability.
The Super Heavy booster lifted off at 7:25 a.m. CT (12:25 GMT) from SpaceX’s Boca Chica launch site in Texas. After launching, it propelled the Starship second stage rocket into the atmosphere. At an altitude of around 70 km (40 miles), the two stages separated, allowing the booster to begin its daring descent back to the launch site.
To slow its descent, the Super Heavy booster re-ignited three of its 33 Raptor engines, carefully targeting the launch pad. The booster, which stands at 233 feet (71 meters) tall, aimed for a safe landing by using the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms. These arms, located at the top of the tower, are taller than the Statue of Liberty.
As the engines roared, the booster descended rapidly, finally catching itself in the tower’s embrace.
Small bars located beneath its four forward grid fins helped secure it in place. Following this successful catch, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk celebrated on X, exclaiming, “The tower has caught the rocket!” The cheering from engineers watching the live stream underscored the excitement of the moment.
This innovative catch-landing method represents another step forward in SpaceX’s ambition to create a fully reusable rocket system. The goal is to transport more cargo into orbit, facilitate human travel to the Moon for NASA, and ultimately reach Mars, a vision Musk has long championed.
Meanwhile, the Starship second stage traveled at approximately 17,000 miles per hour, cruising at 89 miles above the Earth.
It aimed for a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean, showcasing its capabilities about 90 minutes into the flight.
As Starship re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, onboard cameras revealed the stunning visual of superhot plasma enveloping its Earth-facing side. This effect resulted from intense hypersonic friction, producing a glowing aura around the vehicle. The ship’s surface is protected by 18,000 heat-shielding tiles, which have been upgraded since the last test in June. During that earlier flight, Starship suffered damage that complicated its reentry.
This time, however, Starship appeared to hold up well.
It re-ignited one of its six Raptor engines to adjust its position for a simulated ocean landing. SpaceX’s live stream captured the moment the rocket touched down in the dark waters off Australia’s coast, though it eventually toppled on its side.
In a dramatic twist, a separate camera from a nearby vessel showed the ship erupting into a large fireball shortly after landing. Engineers at SpaceX could be heard celebrating, although it remained unclear whether the explosion was a controlled detonation or caused by a fuel leak. Musk declared that the ship had landed “precisely on target!”
Starship, which Musk first introduced in 2017, has encountered several setbacks during previous test flights, including multiple explosions.
However, it achieved a full flight successfully in June for the first time, marking a turning point in its development.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration granted SpaceX a launch license for this fifth test on Saturday. This approval followed weeks of tension regarding the pace of launch authorizations and fines related to the Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX’s workhorse. Overall, this test flight represents a significant advancement in SpaceX’s journey toward reusable space travel.