SpaceX successfully test-launches its next-generation Starship rocket.

This was the final test flight before SpaceX puts into service the upgraded Starship prototype, designed for lunar and Mars missions.

On October 13th, Elon Musk's SpaceX corporation conducted a test launch of its Starship rocket from the Starbase launch site in Texas, further demonstrating the reusability of this super-heavy launch system – the foundation for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

This was SpaceX's 11th rocket test launch.

According to SpaceX, the Starship rocket, consisting of the Starship upper stage and the Super Heavy booster stage, lifted off at approximately 6:25 PM local time (5:25 AM on October 14th in Vietnam).

About 10 minutes later, the Super Heavy booster stage landed in the Gulf of Mexico, while the upper stage continued to perform tests in orbit and was expected to fall into the Indian Ocean about an hour after launch.

During this flight, SpaceX deployed a second simulated Starlink satellite cluster, testing new heat shields on the spacecraft's outer shell during its flight through the atmosphere.

This was the final test flight before SpaceX launches the upgraded Starship prototype, designed for lunar and Mars missions.

Previously, the August test flight was deemed a success, marking progress after a series of failures earlier this year.

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the company did everything it could to ensure the flight was a success, while emphasizing its goal of moving toward full rocket reuse—a key factor in reducing launch costs.

Starship— the world's largest and most powerful launch system—plays a central role in NASA's Artemis program, with plans to return American astronauts to the Moon by 2027.

NASA awarded SpaceX a contract to develop the lander, worth over $3 billion, in 2021. However, experts at the agency warn that slow progress in design and testing could delay the project.

NASA officials assert that the U.S. remains in the lead in the “second space race” against China, which aims to send humans to the Moon before 2030.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is also pressuring NASA to accelerate the Artemis program.

Starship is not only a crucial tool for achieving the goal of reaching the Moon, but also a stepping stone to realizing billionaire Elon Musk's dream of conquering Mars, as well as serving the launch of heavier Starlink satellites—a core business for SpaceX in the future.

(VNA/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/spacex-phong-thu-thanh-cong-ten-lua-starship-the-he-moi-post1070174.vnp