SpaceX on Tuesday completed a successful test flight of the largest rocket ever built after a string of setbacks on prior attempts. CEO Elon Musk lauded the results online following the event.
The almost 400-foot-tall Starship launched its 10th flight from SpaceX's site at Starbase, Texas, at 6:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday.
The Super Heavy rocket successfully ignited all 33 Raptor engines during ascent over the Gulf of America.
SpaceX said that it completed a hot-staging maneuver following ascent, as Starship's upper stage separated from the Super Heavy rocket. The Super Heavy booster then successfully descended into a preplanned splashdown zone in the ocean.
Starship reached a suborbital trajectory after achieving full-duration ascent burn and reaching its planned velocity. Starship then deployed eight dummy satellites before the reentry phase. Starship executed a landing flip and soft splashdown at its designated point in the Indian Ocean.
"Every major objective was met, providing critical data to inform designs of the next generation Starship and Super Heavy (rocket)," SpaceX wrote after the test. The company said the flight test provided valuable data regarding heat shield performance and structure, as well as the limits of the vehicle's capabilities.
"Great work by The SpaceX team!!" Elon Musk wrote on X after the test.
SpaceX's three previous test flights this year suffered a series of mishaps.
For Flight 7 and Flight 8, which launched in January and March, respectively, SpaceX lost the upper stage less than 10 minutes after liftoff, according to reports. The spacecraft during the Flight 9 test in May broke apart during reentry about 45 minutes after launch.
SpaceX in June was forced to delay the Flight 10 test after the vehicle exploded on the Starbase test stand.
Meanwhile, the Starship and Super Heavy booster rocket are instrumental to Musk's goal of humans becoming an interplanetary species. SpaceX eventually plans for the Starship and rocket to become completely reusable for various space missions and satellite deployments.
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