SpaceX Starship SN15 Lands Successfully After More Than 11 Tries

SpaceX's Starship Serial Number 15 rocket has successfully launched and landed, making it the first and only prototype to survive a high-altitude flight test.

Following a day of delay and anticipation, the Elon Musk-owned company launched SN15 at 6:24 p.m. ET from its Boca Chica, Texas testing facility.

SN15's giant Raptor engines released streams of white smoke from the launch pad and propelled the rocket into the air.

The prototype soared to a height of six miles in the atmosphere, hovered for a brief moment, and then performed the notorious sideways flip, nicknamed the "belly flop" by Musk.

With the methane fuel they were carrying, this was not unprecedented, according to SpaceX engineer and livestream announcer John Insprucker. However, the fires were quickly extinguished.

SpaceX Starship SN15 Landing Success

The SN15 landed with two Raptor engines that fired up as it completed its landing maneuver instead of previous Starships that used one or three Raptor engines, both of which miscalculated their descent. Engineers can also use the same data or landing technique to ensure a secure return to the surface for subsequent Starships.

According to SpaceX's recent YouTube live stream, almost all the Starship's engineers and flight testers did was textbook. SpaceX has achieved its most anticipated achievement yet, from its launch from the facility to the spacecraft achieving its planned high altitude, transitioning with its AFT Flaps, and landing the SN15 safely.

The SN9, SN10, and SN11 all met with combustion upon their return to the surface, suggesting that the business may have had multiple consecutive explosions on previous test flights. However, one of the aforementioned Starships, the SN10, has made a successful landing, allowing SpaceX to acquire information before its demise.

The business has had its ups and downs, and since the SN11's last flight in March, no other Starships have been released, with the exception of the SN12, SN13, and SN14, which have all been replaced by the SN15. Among the successes was the return of the Falcon 9 rocket booster, which assisted in the launch of Starlink satellites into space, eventually serving over 500,000 applicants.

Elon Musk Notes SN15 Nominal Landing

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, said on Twitter that the "Starship landing [was] nominal." He implied that the mission has accomplished its goals and that he is overjoyed. Furthermore, the company's victory has fans clamoring for more, and by more, it implies the next move of moving to Mars.

The next move for SpaceX, Musk, and the SN15 will most likely be another test flight. This time a "Full-Stack" flight that would involve the Super Heavy Rocket booster underneath the Starship. Its actual mission will use this configuration of "full-stack" as it heads towards the Red Planet.

SpaceX starship system, according to The Verge, is designed to transport humans and up to 100 tons of cargo to the Moon and Mars. Only the top half of Starship is represented by 16-story high-altitude prototypes like SN15. The bottom half will be a massive "super-heavy" booster that will help launch the top half of the Starship before returning to Earth.

Check out more news and information on SpaceX on Science Times.