SpaceX on Friday launched the 15th flight test of its Starship rocket from Starbase in Texas and, on Saturday, successfully caught the upper stage of the launch vehicle.
Starship rockets are designed with sections that can be reused after being caught with large “chopsticks” back on Earth. Friday’s flight test sought to recover both the upper stage and booster from the launch vehicle, yet the booster ultimately landed in the ocean instead of returning to Starbase.
Video above: SpaceX’s Starship landed back on Earth after entering orbit
The upper stage went on to orbit the Earth 14 times before returning after about 22 hours for what would become a history-making, successful maneuver.
The mission marked the second time Starship’s upper stage has made it to orbit, and the first time SpaceX has caught it.
Starship late Friday otherwise delivered 26 Starlink V3 satellites to orbit to expand the network’s capacity and user speeds, SpaceX said.
In a statement, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman congratulated SpaceX and its CEO, Elon Musk, on a mission that “was almost magic.”
More: What is Starship?
“Can you believe it?” SpaceX commentator Dan Huot shouted, dragging out each word. “Look at her! Baby, she’s back!”
NASA welcomed Saturday’s news. The space agency is paying billions of dollars for Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon later this decade and help build a permanent lunar base. Musk’s ambitions are even grander: He wants to launch a fleet of Starships to build a city on Mars.
When is Starship going to Florida?
While test flights of SpaceX’s Starship continue in Texas, construction is well underway at Kennedy Space Center to house the mega rocket.
Each test flight marks a step toward future missions to the moon and Mars.
Engineers are currently focused on refining Starship’s launch reliability, improving its heat shield, and perfecting booster recovery. SpaceX is also continuing construction of its massive Gigabay at Kennedy Space Center, where the rocket will eventually move to support NASA’s Artemis missions.
Isaacman shared his enthusiasm for space exploration.
“What has me excited about space exploration and NASA goes to the heart of it,” he said. “We’re pursuing the secrets of the universe. I can’t imagine a more exciting endeavor.”
He also explained how SpaceX and competitor Blue Origin’s focus on reusability will help reduce the cost of space travel, which will be key to supporting regular missions.
Before Starship can achieve its ambitious goals, it must prove it can fly safely, reliably, and repeatedly.
SpaceX has acknowledged that several test flights have ended in anomalies or explosions, which it says are a normal and necessary part of the rocket’s development process.
For now, in Texas and eventually in Florida, the future of space travel continues to unfold one launch at a time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
