SpaceX on Friday launched its Starship rocket on its 13th test flight, sending the world's largest and most powerful launch vehicle into space carrying 20 next-generation Starlink satellites as the company advanced its plans for future Moon and Mars missions.
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The 407-foot (124-metre) rocket lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in southern Texas after an earlier launch attempt was aborted last week when six engines on the first-stage booster failed to ignite. The company replaced the engines before Friday's successful liftoff.
The hour-long mission marked the second flight this year of the upgraded Starship V3. The booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, while the spacecraft completed its planned re-entry and splashdown in the Indian Ocean after travelling more than 10,000 miles (16,000 km).
