USA Starship rocket system successfully completes test flight

The largest rocket system ever built in the history of space travel has successfully completed a fifth test flight. The unmanned "Starship" lifted off on Sunday from the spaceport of tech billionaire Elon Musk's private space company SpaceX in the US state of Texas, as live images showed.

Around an hour later, it made a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean as planned, having flown to space altitude in between. This test was also the first attempt to land the lower rocket stage directly at the launch tower in Texas - which was also successful.

Both major goals of the test flight were thus achieved, Musk wrote on the online platform X, which he also owns. "Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting fifth test flight of Starship," he wrote on SpaceX's official X profile.

Previous tests with varying degrees of success

During the first test in April 2023, the entire rocket system exploded after just a few minutes. During the second test in November 2023, the two rocket stages separated and the upper stage continued its flight, but shortly afterwards both exploded separately.

During a third test in March, the "Starship" reached space for the first time, but was also unable to complete the flight as hoped. During a fourth test flight in June, the Starship made its first controlled landing, which did not go quite as hoped. SpaceX always emphasizes that the aim of the tests is to collect data.

One day to the moon and Mars

The "Starship" - consisting of the approximately 70-metre-long "Super Heavy" booster and the approximately 50-metre-long upper stage, also called "Starship" - is intended to enable manned missions to the moon and Mars. The system is designed in such a way that the spaceship and rocket can be reused after returning to Earth.

The system, which is around 120 meters long, should be able to transport well over 100 tons of cargo in the future. NASA wants to use the "Starship" to take astronauts to the moon. SpaceX hopes to take the system to Mars one day.

SDA