Cape Canaveral, Florida — SpaceX launched its SpaceX Starship rocket on Tuesday, marking the sixth test flight of the world’s most powerful rocket. However, unlike last month’s mission, the company opted not to catch the booster with its signature mechanical arms, directing it instead to a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Booster Catch Aborted Mid-Flight
Four minutes into the test flight from SpaceX’s Texas launch site, the plan to retrieve the booster was abandoned. The booster splashed down in the Gulf three minutes later.
SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot explained that the criteria for a successful booster catch were not fully met, leading the flight director to forgo commanding its return to the launch site. Huot did not disclose specific details about what went wrong.
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Starship’s Journey Across the Globe
While the booster splashed down, the Starship spacecraft continued its trajectory, following a near-global loop similar to its October test flight. The spacecraft skimmed the edge of space, eventually descending into the Indian Ocean for a controlled yet destructive end to its one-hour mission.
Unlike previous flights, this test featured a late-afternoon launch, allowing daylight visibility during the spacecraft’s descent.
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Milestones Achieved During the Test
SpaceX achieved several key objectives during this flight, including the successful ignition of one of Starship’s engines in space—a critical step for future missions returning from orbit. Additionally, thermal protection experiments were conducted on the spacecraft, with some areas stripped of heat tiles to test potential catch mechanisms.
Notably, the spacecraft performed a nose-first descent during reentry before flipping upright for its splashdown. This maneuver represents another refinement in SpaceX’s iterative design approach, with even more upgrades planned for the next flight.
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The Vision for the SpaceX Starship
SpaceX’s ultimate goal is to return and reuse the entire 400-foot (121-meter) Starship system. Full-scale recycling of the spacecraft and booster would significantly reduce costs for transporting cargo and people to the moon and Mars while increasing the frequency of missions.
The company’s success with recycling Falcon rockets, which operate out of Florida and California, has already demonstrated the financial and operational benefits of reusability.
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NASA Partnership and Future Missions
NASA has awarded SpaceX over $4 billion to support its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon using Starship for back-to-back lunar missions later this decade.
Meanwhile, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has grander ambitions, envisioning a fleet of Starships constructing a self-sustaining city on Mars in the future.
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A History of Starship Test Flights
Since 2023, SpaceX has launched six fully assembled Starship systems. The first three flights ended in explosions, showcasing the risks inherent in pushing the boundaries of rocket science. This latest test demonstrates continued progress as SpaceX refines its Starship design.
Notable Attendance
In a notable appearance, President-elect Donald Trump attended the launch, highlighting a strengthening relationship with Musk and SpaceX as the company continues to drive innovation in space exploration.
