STARBASE: SpaceX completed a largely successful test flight of its next-generation Starship rocket on Friday, deploying a constellation of mock satellites and executing a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean in a high-risk debut for the newly upgraded vehicle as Elon Musk’s company prepares for a public launch.The recent unmanned launch of Starship — designed to enable frequent Starlink satellite launches and send future NASA missions to the moon — marked a major milestone for the vehicle after months of testing delays. The result could also boost investor confidence ahead of SpaceX’s initial public offering next month, which is expected to be the largest in history.Starship, which SpaceX has spent more than $15 billion developing as a fully reusable spacecraft, is critical to Musk’s goals of lowering launch costs, expanding his Starlink business and pursuing ambitions ranging from deep space exploration to orbiting data centers — all factored into his $1.75 trillion IPO target valuation.Friday’s launch marks the 12th test flight of SpaceX’s Starship prototype since 2023 and the first of the V3 iteration, a major upgrade for both the cruise ship and its Super Heavy booster, as well as the first launch from a launch pad specifically designed for the new rocket.A meaningful stepSpaceX was counting on a successful test flight to bolster its argument that the largest and most powerful rocket ever launched is nearing commercial readiness after years of explosive setbacks and development delays.
Friday’s test appears to have achieved most of its main goals.The towering vehicle, which consists of a Starship spacecraft in the upper stage atop a super-heavy booster rocket, lifted off around 5:30 p.m. Central Time (2230 GMT) from SpaceX’s facilities in Starbase, Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville.Minutes later, the two stages clearly separated, leaving the Starship to soar to the flight stage despite the loss of one of its six engines, and then release its simulated space payload before surviving a fiery atmospheric re-entry and landing. Her flight took just over an hour.This is a Reuters story
