Key Points
SpaceX has completed a mostly successful fourth test of its revolutionary new Starship rocket, a key step toward returning humans to the Moon and, maybe one day, landing on Mars...
The flight, integrated flight test 4, lifted off today from SpaceXs Boca Chica test site in Texas at 7:50 am Central time..
Standing 233 feet (71 meters) tall, the rocket and its 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines roared to life, raising Starshipthe largest rocket in historyinto the sky over the Gulf of Mexico from the test site, called Starbase...
Starships journey into space continued, with the vehicle making its way over the Atlantic Ocean, southern Africa, and toward the Indian Ocean, reaching a peak altitude of 132 mileshalf the orbital height of the International Space Stationabout 24 minutes into the flight...
The bottom of the spacecraft is coated in heat tiles to displace this heat, but on Starships last test flight in March the vehicle broke apart at an altitude of about 40 miles because of the intensity of reentry..
You might be interested in
Here’s What’s Next for SpaceX’s Starship
03, Dec, 23A second Starship test flight advanced a bit farther than the first, with the rocket reaching the edge of space but blowing up soon after. Industry experts say it’s still a step forward.
Video: Moment Starship Super Heavy launched and exploded
13, Mar, 24As anticipation builds for the third test flight, we revisit the dramatic moments of the previous launch that marked both an achievement and a learning curve for SpaceX.
Musk's SpaceX rocket explodes after booster separation: What exactly happened?
18, Nov, 23During Saturday's launch, a live SpaceX webcast captured the rocketship ascending from the launch tower into the morning sky. | World News
SpaceX Starship lost on return to Earth after completing most of third test flight
14, Mar, 24SpaceX commentators said mission control lost communications with the spacecraft during its atmospheric re-entry.
Starship Super Heavy's flight to space: Picture-perfect launch, hard splashdown
15, Mar, 24The test flight's primary objective was to gather critical data to refine and improve the Starship for future missions, including potential crewed flights.
SpaceX’s Starship Explodes During First Orbital Test Flight
20, Apr, 23After achieving liftoff, the Starship vehicle failed to separate from its Super Heavy booster rocket.
Elon Musk confident of behemoth Starship's success on second attempt
06, Oct, 23The 52-year-old billionaire envisions using Starship to transport people to the moon and Mars, aligning with his long-standing ambition of reaching the Red Planet.
SpaceX eyes third test flight of Starship Super Heavy on March 14
07, Mar, 24The Starship Super Heavy has so far launched on two developmental flights, while the first exploded seconds after launch, the second flight was much longer.
SpaceX Starship launched on test flight in Texas after last one blew up
18, Nov, 23The launch marked only the second attempt to fly Starship mounted atop its towering Super Heavy rocket booster. | World News