SpaceX's Starship rocket returned to Earth without any damage after completing its first full test flight. This brings Elon Musk one step closer to colonizing Mars.
Starship Rocket's First Splash-Down
On June 6, SpaceX made its first-ever soft ocean landing for its Starship mega rocket. The breakthrough landing concluded the vehicle's fourth mission and a series of critical tests.
The 400-foot-tall (122-meter) rocket blasted off from the company's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas at 8:50 am ET. It consists of the cruise vessel placed above the Super Heavy rocket booster.
The Starship flew 130 miles (209 kilometers) above the ground at 620 miles per hour (998 kilometers per hour) and descended for a soft landing in the Indian Ocean as planned. SpaceX employees celebrated as the control center confirmed the success of the mission.
The rocket booster also made a touchdown in the Gulf of Mexico eight minutes after lifting off. It was a critical milestone in SpaceX's plan to return the Super Heavy booster to its launch site for reuse.
Around 16.7 million pounds (74.3 Meganewtons) of thrust is produced by the Super Heavy booster. This is almost twice as powerful as the Saturn V super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by NASA for the Apollo missions.
The flight tests carried data as its payload. SpaceX's primary goal for the latest mission is to get through the immense heat that can be encountered during reentry. Since the Starship was 'hanging on by bolts and threads', SpaceX employees and millions of people around the world were left on the edge of their seats while waiting for a successful splashdown.
During the first three attempts, the prototypes either exploded midair or broke apart during re-entry. Meanwhile, only three tiles and a flap were damaged during the latest mission. As Starship reentered the Earth's atmosphere one hour after launch, fragments of its flap shredded off, and debris covered its camera.
The third test flight occurred last March, during which the rocket flew for 49 minutes before losing during reentry over the Indian Ocean. Since then, the company has made several upgrades on the rocket's software and hardware.
READ ALSO : SpaceX's Starship Megarocket Prepares for Next Test Flight in 3-5 Weeks, Confirms Elon Musk
A Stepping Stone to Mars
The Starship is categorized as a super heavy-lift launch mega-rocket and is hailed as the most powerful one ever built. With both of its stages combined, the spacecraft is 90 feet (27 meters) taller than the Statue of Liberty.
This rocket is designed to be reusable, which is why Elon Musk plans to control the entry of its booster into the Gulf of Mexico and its landing into the Indian Ocean. The mission is intended to be practiced for planned descents in the future. It is considered a milestone in returning humans to the Moon and ultimately reaching and colonizing Mars.
On January 16, 2020, Elon Musk announced his plan to send humans to Mars through his Starship rocket. He estimated that in order to deliver one million humans to the Martian surface by 2025, the rockets should have three flights every day and a total of 1,000 flights a year.
Check out more news and information on Starship in Science Times.
