Topline
SpaceX’s Starship had its fifth test launch in 18 months on Sunday morning and successfully caught a component of the rocket with mechanical arms near where it was launched in Texas, multiple outlets reported, marking a major milestone for Elon Musk’s aerospace company.
The SpaceX Starship lifts off from Starbase near Brownsville, Texas, on Sunday for the Starship … [+]
Key Facts
The Starship and its Super Heavy booster launched near Brownsville, Texas, around 8:25 a.m. EDT, The New York Times reported, and the Super Heavy returned just after 8:30 a.m., when it was caught in mid-air by the two mechanical arms after launching the ship.
The Starship successfully splashed down in the Indian Ocean about an hour later just after 9:30 a.m. EDT, according to SpaceX.
SpaceX said in a post on the Musk-owned X, formerly known as Twitter, the primary objectives for this launch were “to catch the Super Heavy booster and another Starship reentry and landing burn, aiming for an on-target splashdown of Starship in the Indian Ocean” with the broader goal of “revolutioniz(ing) humanity’s ability to access space.”
SpaceX’s last launch was in June and marked the first successful reentry of the company’s spacecraft into the atmosphere after three previous attempts.
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Crucial Quote
“Big step towards making life multiplanetary was made today,” Musk said in a post on X after the Starship returned.
Big Number
12,000. That’s how many hours SpaceX said its engineers have worked since the last flight in June in order to revamp the ship’s heat shield with more protections after some of the protective tiles were destroyed upon return in its last launch, the BBC reported.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Musk to have a net worth of about $245.8 billion as of Sunday morning, making him the wealthiest person in the world.
Key Background
Musk’s SpaceX failed to launch its Starship three times since it began test launching last April, though the company said the missions were successful as it was able to collect data to improve future operations. The Starship is supposed to be a fully reusable system that can take both cargo and people to space, which is why the catching of the Super Heavy—which previously landed in the Gulf of Mexico—was an important milestone to achieve. The Starship is regarded as the largest and most powerful rocket developed and stands at almost 400 feet. After the Starship in Sunday’s launch landed in the Indian Ocean, Musk declared on X both of the mission’s objectives were achieved.
Surprising Fact
Jeff Bezos’ aerospace manufacturing company Blue Origin sent its congratulations to Musk’s company Sunday morning in a tweet. The two billionaires’ space companies have been competing for governmental contracts and funding to develop a lunar lander for Artemis V, a NASA mission scheduled to take astronauts to the moon in 2029.
