Elon Musk’s SpaceX is in full force with its expedition plans. The space exploration company recently completed its sixth flight test of its coveted Starship spacecraft. The previous, which was also the fifth launch was conducted in October.
Lift Off From Texas
The mission that took off was primarily intended to propel the Starship out of the lower atmosphere on a suborbital flight. After that, it would re-enter over the Indian Ocean.
Meanwhile, the Super Heavy booster carried out the return-to-launch-site mid-air capture, or, as it turned out, a safe ocean splashdown.
Starship’s flight trajectory pic.twitter.com/AqkizZIIdW
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024
Super Heavy will generate a sonic boom upon return, which is a brief, thunder-like noise we hear when an aircraft or other object travels faster than the speed of sound pic.twitter.com/6sq44a5rws
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024
Donald Trump At The Launch
Liftoff of Starship! pic.twitter.com/rSLQ2DDy63
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024
Another important aspect of this particular launch was the presence of President-elect Donald Trump. Trump was in Texas to watch the launch and recovery.
I’m heading to the Great State of Texas to watch the launch of the largest object ever to be elevated, not only to Space, but simply by lifting off the ground. Good luck to @ElonMusk and the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project! https://t.co/UVpVSkpEyu
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2024
Donald Trump even took to X to share the news of his presence. Trump said, “I’m heading to the Great State of Texas to watch the launch of the largest object ever to be elevated, not only to Space but simply by lifting off the ground. Good luck to @ElonMusk and the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project!”
Starship’s Raptor engine burn is complete and Starship has entered a coast phase pic.twitter.com/xJHlg2eDTs
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024
Splashdown In The Ocean
In a more cinematic end to the mission, the flight culminated the mission with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting sixth flight test of Starship! pic.twitter.com/bf98Va9qmL
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024
SpaceX posted the update on X and exclaimed, “Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting sixth flight test of Starship!”
Successful ocean landing of Starship!
We will do one more ocean landing of the ship. If that goes well, then SpaceX will attempt to catch the ship with the tower. https://t.co/osFud7XXPo
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 20, 2024
Company boss Elon Musk also took to X, lauding the success of the mission. He added, “Successful ocean landing of Starship!
We will do one more ocean landing of the ship. If that goes well, then SpaceX will attempt to catch the ship with the tower.”
Apart from these tests, SpaceX also made headlines earlier this year when its Polaris Dawn mission with non-professional astronauts made it to space to conduct the first ever ‘private’ or commercial ‘Spacewalk’, something that was only done by international, governmental space organisations before.
