Elon Musk’s Starship finally succeeds after costly setbacks

SpaceX performed the tenth test launch of its super-heavy Starship launch vehicle, ending a streak of costly failures. The Starship separated from the Super Heavy booster, launched eight Starlink satellite mockups into orbit, restarted its engines, and landed in the Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, the Super Heavy performed a series of tests and landed in the Gulf of Mexico.

This was reported by the Financial Times on August 26.

From failure to flight — details

The super-powerful, 400ft-tall rocket launched from Starbase in South Texas, avoiding the fate of the June test that ended in flames. After the lower stage separated, the Starship deployed eight Starlink satellite mockups into space. Then, it re-ignited its Raptor engines, re-entered the atmosphere (which burned some of its heat shielding tiles and flaps), and landed in the Indian Ocean. The Super Heavy booster conducted a series of tests in space and then successfully returned, crashing into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Starship, the largest rocket ever built, is a key part of Elon Musk's plans for NASA contracts and future human missions to the moon and Mars. With a payload capacity of up to 250 metric tons, the Starship is also essential for expanding the Starlink network of 8,000 satellites. New versions of these satellites are significantly larger than current ones. The rocket first reached space at the end of 2023. It attracted public attention in October when the reusable Super Heavy booster was "caught" by Mechazilla's giant robotic arms during reentry.

However, since then, the company has experienced several serious setbacks that have cast doubt on the project's viability. In June, a "serious anomaly" occurred during bench tests at the launch pad, resulting in an explosion. During the ninth test flight in May, engineers were unable to open the doors and deploy the satellites, and they lost control of the upper stage during reentry. The previous two launches ended with the rockets spinning uncontrollably and exploding over the Caribbean. After this, the US Federal Aviation Administration suspended further flights for months.

The tenth launch, originally scheduled for Sunday, was first postponed due to a liquid oxygen leak and then due to unfavorable weather conditions.

Read more:

China creates technology that will outshine Starlink — details

Scientists find Earth-like planet that could host life