WASHINGTON: SpaceX successfully completed a major test flight of its latest-generation Starship spacecraft on Friday, with the vehicle splashing down in the Indian Ocean after a largely successful mission despite several technical glitches.
The massive rocket lifted off shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time from SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility in Texas.
The company had not planned to recover either the Super Heavy booster or the upper-stage spacecraft during the mission. The final splashdown occurred in a controlled descent, which SpaceX confirmed on social media platform X.
The flight marked Starship’s 12th overall test and the first launch in seven months. SpaceX said the mission was primarily intended to test redesigns introduced in the latest version of the rocket system.
During the mission, the third-generation Starship spacecraft successfully performed a maneuver that involved flipping upright and reigniting its engines for controlled flight, despite one engine malfunctioning during ascent.
The spacecraft also deployed 22 mock satellites, including two designed to capture images of the vehicle’s heat shield for engineering analysis.
Company spokesperson Dan Huot said the spacecraft did not achieve a fully nominal orbital insertion after one engine failed during the initial burn, but remained within acceptable mission parameters.
“I wouldn’t call it nominal orbital insertion,” Huot said during the livestream, adding that the trajectory remained “within bounds.”
After separating from the upper stage as planned, the Super Heavy booster failed to complete its boost-back burn and fell uncontrolled into the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX had not intended to recover the booster but had aimed for a more precise descent.
Elon Musk praised the mission on X, calling the flight “epic” and telling SpaceX employees, “You scored a goal for humanity.”
The launch came one day after an earlier test attempt was aborted due to a mechanical issue involving a hydraulic pin connected to the launch tower arm.
SpaceX recently filed paperwork with US regulators for a potential public offering expected later this year, a move analysts say could become one of the largest initial public offerings in history.
The upgraded Starship system stands more than 407 feet (124 meters) tall when fully stacked and remains central to NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration programme.
NASA has contracted SpaceX to develop a modified Starship variant capable of landing astronauts on the Moon under the Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface before the end of the decade.
China is also pursuing a rival lunar programme targeting its first crewed Moon mission by 2030.
Clayton Swope, an aerospace analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the upgraded Starship “did most of what SpaceX hoped it would do during the launch,” but cautioned that further testing would still be required before operational lunar missions become possible.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman congratulated SpaceX following the launch, saying the mission brought humanity “one step closer to the Moon” and “one step closer to Mars.”