SpaceX launches Starship rocket as it aims to orbit around Earth for first time
- On Monday, SpaceX launched its 400-foot Starship from Texas, successfully reaching orbit for the first time despite losing one engine during ascent. "Starship is orbital," Mission Control announced to cheers.
- The 14th full-scale launch from Texas saw all 33 Raptor engines ignite, generating roughly 16 million pounds of thrust. SpaceX previously conducted 13 suborbital tests, roughly half ending in explosions as engineers refined the hardware.
- Founder Elon Musk's rocket carried 26 advanced Starlink satellites to a 275 km altitude, where the craft plans to circle Earth six times over 10 hours. The satellites carry ten times the capacity of earlier models.
- The Super Heavy booster achieved a "fairly soft" splashdown in the Gulf after separating from the upper stage. SpaceX aims to certify the vehicle for NASA's Artemis IV mission, slated for no sooner than 2028.
- Musk emphasized extreme caution regarding debris over land, stating "our popularity would diminish very rapidly" if the spacecraft breaks apart over populated areas. SpaceX plans to phase out the Falcon rocket within several years as Starship proves its reusability.
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226 Articles
Rocket carries 26 Starlink satellites in a test of SpaceX's plans for future orbital missions
SpaceX's Starship system entered Earth orbit for the first time: the world's most powerful launch vehicle launched from Starbase in Texas on Monday, and then the upper stage performed the orbital insertion burn. However, the historic test cannot be considered complete at the time of publication of the article, because after the several hours of orbital flight, the braking burn, atmospheric re-entry and the planned landing in the Pacific Ocean ar…
SpaceX Successfully Launches 'Most Powerful Rocket Ever Made' From Starbase, Texas. The Stock Price Did Not React Much
Starship reached orbit for the first time after 13 suborbital attempts, but investors tracking SPCX on launch day found the market's reaction far quieter than the rocket's 100-gigawatt liftoff. Here is what still has to go right before the mission is truly complete.
Watch SpaceX Starship Lifts Off for Key Orbital Test
Elon Musk's SpaceX launched its massive Starship rocket Monday morning on its first orbital flight test. This rocket is carrying 26 satellites that are to be deployed into orbit. This is the launch from the Starbase facility in South Texas.
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