On Thursday, SpaceX successfully sent the Starship rocket on a new test flight after a short delay, taking off at 2:50 p.m. The fourth test flight surpassed expectations and pleased the team at SpaceX headquarters, unlike the previous test flight where they ran out of Starship fuel on the way back to Earth.
Minutes after liftoff, the lower part of the rocket successfully landed in the sea for the first time. This success was attributed to various software and hardware upgrades made to increase reliability and address lessons learned from previous flights. Operationally, the rocket will fly a similar path to the previous test flight with the Starship expected to land in the Indian Ocean.
The goal of the fourth test flight was to achieve orbit and demonstrate the ability to return and reuse both the Starship and Super Heavy components. While the Super Heavy booster successfully landed on a receiving ship in the Gulf of Mexico, unfortunately, it later tilted, overturned, and sank into the sea. Despite this, SpaceX considered the goal fulfilled as the booster returned to Earth without issues.
During the descent of the Starship back to Earth, some issues arose. As the Starship approached an altitude of approximately 50 kilometers, one of the flaps began to disintegrate and catch fire. Despite this setback, the controlled descent into the Indian Ocean provided valuable data for future improvements.
SpaceX highlighted that the primary goal of the flight was not the successful landing of the Starship on the platform, but rather the successful execution of the entire test sequence. They continue to work towards rapidly developing the Starship with the aim of creating a fully reusable transport system for crew and cargo missions to Earth’s orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.