SpaceX launched its Starship rocket system on its sixth test flight Tuesday, with Donald Trump in attendance at the company’s Texas launchpad.
Trump’s presence underscores the close ties SpaceX owner Elon Musk has established with the president-elect after pouring more than $100 million into his campaign.
The nearly 400-foot tall structure — which features the Starship spacecraft stacked on top of a Super Heavy booster — lifted off flawlessly at 2 p.m. Pacific Standard Time from Starbase, the company’s Brownsville, Texas-area facility next to the Gulf of Mexico. The uncrewed spacecraft was sent on its way to a splashdown in the Indian Ocean, while the booster returned to earth less than seven minutes later.
The booster completed a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico but was unable to complete a return to the launchpad, where it was to be caught with by giant mechanical arms, called “chopsticks,” attached to the launch tower — a remarkable feat it first attempted and achieved on Starship’s fifth test flight on Oct. 13.
It wasn’t exactly clear why the booster wasn’t able to return to the launch tower, but SpaceX said factors include the safety of the launch team, the pad and the public.
The test flight was expected to conclude about an hour after liftoff following Starship’s completion of several maneuvers on its way to a controlled ocean landing more than 3,000 miles away.
The Starship launch system is the biggest and most powerful ever built, with more thrust than the giant Saturn V that propelled the Apollo astronauts to the moon. SpaceX has a $4-billion contract to develop a “lunar lander” version of the Starship spacecraft that can return astronauts on the moon as part of its Artemis III mission scheduled for September 2026.
However, Musk developed the rocket system to take astronauts to Mars, something he would like to accomplish during his lifetime. Trump has expressed interest in such an endeavor, wondering why the space agency has been focused on the moon.
“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 Elon Musk and the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project!” the president elect posted Tuesday on the conservative social media network Truth Social before the test flight.
Musk has transformed the space business by creating resusable booster rockets that cut costs, such as the company’s workhorse Falcon 9, which sends satellites into space. Reusing the Super Heavy booster dramatically cut costs, with each booster powered by 33 engines fueled by methane. The reusable upper Starship spacecraft is powered by six engines.
Musk, who splits time also managing Tesla and his other companies, was appointed by Trump last week to lead a Department of Government Efficiency agency with former Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy. However, many details remain to be worked out — including that the department doesn’t even exist.