Hardly a day goes by that Elon Musk and his new ‘friend’ Donald Trump are not seen together in public. On Tuesday, the US president-elect was able to attend the test of a ‘Starship’ rocket from the arsenal of the technology billionaire’s space company SpaceX.
During its approximately hour-long journey, the unmanned “Starship” reached an altitude of almost 200 kilometers and speeds of more than 25,000 kilometers per hour before making a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX emphasized that the spacecraft had been tested beyond its intended payload limits and had held up.
SpaceX failed to repeat the October 13 maneuver. At the time, in a world first, the rocket system’s first propulsion stage was successfully recovered after transporting the space shuttle into space. This time it didn’t work; the booster landed in a controlled and gentle manner in the Gulf of Mexico a few minutes after takeoff.
This time, the re-ignition of a ride in space was successful, which is important for future regular missions. SpaceX also wanted to perform a series of maneuvers and experiments with the spacecraft’s heat shield. So it was certainly possible to celebrate some progress – all in Trump’s presence.
Setbacks and breakthroughs in previous starts
During a first test in April 2023, the entire missile system exploded after a few minutes. The two rocket stages separated in November 2023, but exploded shortly afterwards. 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 a controlled landing for the first time, but it did not go quite as hoped. SpaceX always emphasizes that the purpose of the tests is to collect data. Last month, the spacecraft reached space altitude and made a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean.
Source: Krone
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