SOUTH PADRE ISLAND: SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket flew across golden Texas skies on Monday before successfully splashing down, as the US company vies to silence critics who doubt Elon Musk’s startup can deliver NASA’s moon projects on time.
On its 11th test trip, the massive rocket took off from SpaceX’s launch facilities in South Texas on Monday just after 6:25 p.m. local time (2325 GMT), according to a live video feed that also included thunderous applause from engineering teams.
The rocket booster, known as Super Heavy, landed in Gulf waters as planned, while the upper stage, also known separately as Starship, flew through space and went through tests, charting a similar path to the last successful mission in August.
Just over an hour after launch, it blasted off into the Indian Ocean after releasing fake satellites, just like on the previous flight. No recovery of the vehicle was planned.
NASA plans to use the massive Starship – the world’s largest and most powerful rocket – in its efforts to return astronauts to the moon. It’s also key to Musk’s zealous vision of getting humans to Mars.
The billionaire SpaceX founder said on the webcast ahead of the launch that he planned to look outward, rather than inward, as he previously did: It’s “much more profound,” he said.
Monday’s test mission was expected to be the last for this version of Starship prototypes. The next flight will debut a new model, version 3, SpaceX said.
The space technology company could claim its two most recent flights as victories.
But that followed a series of spectacular explosions that raised concerns that Starship might ultimately not deliver on its promises — at least not on the timeline that lawmakers and the scientific community had hoped for.
The U.S. space agency’s Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon, while China moves forward with a rival effort that aims for its first manned mission by 2030.
During US President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, the administration has increased pressure on NASA to accelerate its progress – efforts to which Starship is key.
Musk’s company has a multi-billion dollar federal contract to develop a modified version of Starship as a lunar lander.
‘Second space race’
The manned Artemis III mission is targeted for mid-2027 – but a NASA safety advisory panel has warned that could be “years too late”, according to Space Policy Online.
And former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine recently told a Senate panel that “unless something changes, it is very unlikely that the United States will beat China’s planned timeline.”
NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy has insisted the US will still win the “second space race,” telling reporters last month that “America has led in space in the past, and we will continue to lead in space in the future,” while rejecting the idea that China could get there first.
Previous tests of the massive Starship rocket have resulted in upper stage explosions, including twice over the Caribbean and once after reaching space. In June, the upper stage exploded during a ground test.
Musk has identified developing a fully reusable orbital heat shield as the toughest task, noting that it took nine months to refurbish the Space Shuttle’s heat shield between flights.
Another hurdle is that the Starship can be refueled in orbit with supercooled propellant – an essential but untested step for the vehicle to carry out missions in space.
NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel has highlighted “threats” related to ensuring the crucial transfer can be carried out, with member Paul Hill saying the timeline is “significantly challenged”.
