SpaceX’s mega rocket embarked on its third test flight on Thursday, marking a significant milestone as the spacecraft reached velocities enabling it to coast towards its destination halfway across the globe.
This successful launch surpassed the outcomes of the previous two test flights, both marred by explosions shortly after liftoff. Starship, touted as the largest and most powerful rocket ever constructed, ascended from the southern edge of Texas, near the Mexican border, before venturing over the expanse of the Gulf of Mexico. Notably, no crew or satellites were onboard during this mission.
Moments after liftoff, the booster gracefully detached from the spacecraft, gently descending into the waters of the gulf. Meanwhile, the spacecraft continued its trajectory eastward, set to undertake a planned hour-long journey culminating in a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
Standing tall at 397 feet (121 meters), the rocket and its futuristic-looking spacecraft dwarfed NASA’s historic and contemporary moon-bound rockets, showcasing the technological leaps achieved by SpaceX.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, expressed his jubilation, congratulating his team on the milestone. “SpaceX has come a long way,” Musk remarked via X, a former Twitter platform, commemorating the 22nd anniversary of the rocket company’s founding.
The success of Starship’s test flight was closely monitored by NASA, which has a vested interest in its performance. NASA’s plans to land astronauts on the moon within the next few years hinge on the success of Starship. This new generation of lunar explorers, the first since the Apollo program of the last century, is slated to descend to the lunar surface aboard Starship, at least for the initial missions.
With Starship’s latest triumph, the prospects for future space exploration, including crewed missions to the moon and beyond, appear increasingly promising.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
