SOUTH PADRE ISLAND (AFP) — SpaceX carried out a mostly successful test flight of its latest Starship rocket Friday, with the spacecraft splashing down in the Indian Ocean after completing key in-flight objectives.
The massive rocket launched shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time (2230 GMT). SpaceX did not plan to recover either the Super Heavy booster or the upper-stage spacecraft, and both ended their missions with controlled splashdowns.
“Splashdown confirmed!” the company wrote on X.
The flight tested upgrades to the third-generation Starship spacecraft, which performed a flip maneuver and reignited its engines in space despite one engine failing. The vehicle also deployed 22 mock satellites, including two designed to photograph the spacecraft’s heat shield.
A malfunction during the initial burn left Starship short of its intended orbit.
“I wouldn’t call it nominal orbital insertion,” company spokesperson Dan Huot said, adding however that it was “within bounds” of a previously analyzed trajectory.
The Super Heavy booster separated as planned but failed to complete its boost-back burn before falling uncontrolled into the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX had not planned to recover the booster.
Musk praised the mission on X, calling the flight “epic.”
“You scored a goal for humanity,” he said.
The launch came a day after an aborted attempt caused by a hydraulic issue involving the launch tower arm. Musk said the problem was fixed overnight.
Friday’s mission was Starship’s 12th test flight and the first in seven months. The upgraded vehicle stands more than 407 feet (124 meters) tall when fully stacked.
Starship is central to NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon before the end of the decade. SpaceX is developing a lunar landing version of the spacecraft under contract with NASA, while rival Blue Origin is pursuing a competing system.
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, speaking before launch, said: “We’re looking forward to seeing this fly, because hopefully at some point in the not-too-distant future we’re going to join up in Earth orbit.”
After the flight, Isaacman congratulated SpaceX on X for “a hell of a V3 Starship launch.”
“One step closer to the Moon...one step closer to Mars,” he said.