The Starship rocket has completed its first successful flight, launching eight prototype Starlink satellites into orbit and passing re-entry tests, marking a turning point for Elon Musk’s company after several failed test launches.
The Starship rocket has completed its first successful flight, launching eight prototype Starlink satellites into orbit and passing re-entry tests, marking a turning point for Elon Musk’s company after several failed test launches.
Reuters reports on the new tests. The tenth Starship launch took place from Starbase in Texas, with the 123-meter-tall rocket launching with the Super Heavy booster. Three minutes later, the upper stage separated and successfully entered space.
A key milestone was the first test of the satellite deployment system: Starship released eight Starlink prototypes using a mechanism similar to a Pez dispenser. This demonstrates the possibility of mass launches, on which the further expansion of SpaceX’s satellite network depends.
An hour after launch, the rocket entered the dense atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. The company tested new hexagonal heat shield tiles that are designed to withstand extreme loads without the need for extensive repairs after each mission. Musk emphasizes that creating reusable heat shields is one of the most difficult tasks in the entire project.
It is the world’s largest rocket, which SpaceX is developing as a fully reusable one. Its success is critical not only for NASA programs, but also for the development of the Starlink business: Starship is supposed to provide the ability to launch larger batches of satellites into orbit than the Falcon 9 is currently capable of. The previous three tests ended in failures, so the current mission was the first major breakthrough in the development.
Despite the success, the finale was typical of SpaceX’s test campaign: the vehicle ran aground near Australia and exploded shortly after. But even this, the company considers an important result, as the main objectives of the test were achieved.
NASA has already commented on the success of the mission: the agency said it is bringing the implementation of the Artemis III program closer, within the framework of which Starship should deliver astronauts to the Moon in 2027.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how, after a large-scale failure of the Starlink satellite Internet on July 25, some users began to notice a significant increase in connection speed. Meanwhile, SpaceX, without making official statements, accidentally revealed the real cause of the incident when notifying resellers.
