SpaceX successfully test-launched new generation Starship rocket

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

On October 13, billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX Corporation test-launched the Starship rocket from the Starbase launch site in Texas (USA), to continue demonstrating the reusability of this super-heavy launch system - the foundation for future missions to bring humans to the Moon and Mars.

This is the 11th test launch of the SpaceX rocket.

According to SpaceX, the Starship rocket, consisting of the Starship upper stage and the Super Heavy booster, left the launch pad at about 6:25 p.m. local time (5:25 a.m. October 14, Vietnam time).

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

During this flight, SpaceX deployed a second cluster of simulated Starlink satellites, testing new heat shields on the spacecraft's exterior during reentry.

This is the final test flight before SpaceX flies the upgraded Starship prototype, designed for missions to the Moon and Mars.

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

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the company did everything possible to ensure the flight was successful, while emphasizing the 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, which plans to return American astronauts to the Moon by 2027.

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

NASA officials say the US is still leading in the “second space race” with China, which aims to put humans on the Moon by 2030.

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

Starship is not only an important tool for the Moon target, but also a stepping stone to realize billionaire Elon Musk's dream of conquering Mars, as well as serving the launch of heavier Starlink satellite generations - SpaceX's main business in the future./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

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