SpaseX tested the Starship rocket system for the sixth time: what was it like?

Elon Musk/AFP

American billionaire Elon Musk's company SpaceX conducted a successful test of Starship in state of Texas, USA. However, this time it was not possible to catch the first stage of the Super Heavy launch vehicle with the help of the launch tower – it was diverted to a soft landing in the Gulf of Mexico.

This is stated in the SpaceX press release.

< The Starship lifted off from the Starbase, powered by all 33 Raptor engines. After liftoff and separation of the stages, the launch vehicle successfully entered the reverse acceleration mode to begin the return to the launch site.

However, at this stage, an automatic check of the critical equipment showed that the launch tower would not “catch” the rocket. Therefore, it was landed in the Gulf of Mexico.

Starship rocket system/SpaseX

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On the sixth test flight, SpaceX wanted to lock the Super Heavy first stage launch vehicle with the Starbase launch tower “sticks”, as it had done during the previous Starship flight on October 13.

Almost everything else went according to plan – e.g. , the 50-meter-tall Starship upper stage, called the Starship or simply “The Ship,” successfully restarted one of its engines in space, demonstrating the capabilities that will be needed during future orbital missions. In addition, the “Ship” today survived its return journey through the Earth's atmosphere intact and fell into the Indian Ocean.

Starship/SpaseX rocket system

US President-elect Donald Trump was also present at the test launch, which emphasized his ties with Elon Musk. Before the launch, Trump wrote that he was on his way to “the great state of Texas to watch the launch of the largest object ever to rise not only into space, but simply rise from the ground,” and wished Musk the best of luck.