The prototype of SpaceX's Starship rocket had its final test flight on Tuesday. President-elect Donald Trump and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk were present to see the largest rocket in the world take off from the launch pad. This sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship was nearly perfect, and the current version will be succeeded by a bigger and enhanced rocket model for the upcoming mission.
Modifications Made
Before the test flight, SpaceX engineers made some changes to the Starship by taking off over 2,000 heat shield tiles to reduce weight. Despite these adjustments, the rocket couldn't carry a test payload of sensors and could only manage to transport a banana to show weightlessness.
Flight Details
The Starship rocket achieved an altitude of nearly 200 kilometers while reaching an impressive speed of 25,000 kilometers per hour. The two stages of the rocket separated at roughly 3,000 miles per hour, but unfortunately, there was a problem that stopped the super-heavy booster from being captured. The booster was intended to land back at the launch area in South Texas, but instead, it ended up making a water landing in the ocean.
Successful Return
As for the Starship spacecraft, it reached its intended orbit of 190 km in space as planned. There, one of its engines fired as expected to start the journey back to Earth. The re-entry into the atmosphere and landing in the Indian Ocean went off without a hitch. The Starship Block 1 test program has demonstrated its potential, but both stages of the rocket still require further development. The aim is to enable the reuse of both the Starship and its first stage in future missions.
