Starship lands in the Pacific

Washington, AFP – SpaceX’s Starship rocket landed in the Pacific Ocean after reaching Earth orbit for the first time on Monday and deploying 26 satellites, a significant milestone in the development of the giant rocket designed for future missions to the Moon and Mars, three years after its initial test flights.

The mission ended much sooner than expected, according to live broadcasts.

The more than 120-meter-tall rocket launched amid a thick cloud of smoke on its fourteenth test flight.

The upper stage separated from the rocket and reached orbit approximately 26 minutes after launch.

Although the test was expected to last around ten hours, the rocket landed in the Pacific Ocean after deploying 26 next-generation Starlink satellites in just over three hours.

The company has not yet disclosed the reasons for the mission’s premature conclusion.

The Starship upper stage landed in the ocean off the coast of Chile, reignited its engines to land on the water’s surface, and then exploded after the vehicle tipped onto its side.

After years of development and testing in Texas, SpaceX began operating the rocket in its full configuration in 2023, deliberately opting for suborbital trajectories, as they are safer and less complex.

Previous Starship tests, all conducted on safer and less demanding suborbital trajectories, ended in massive explosions, some over the Caribbean Sea.

The company has made numerous modifications to the black-and-silver giant, which is the largest and most powerful flying vehicle ever built.

However, significant technical challenges remain in the development of Starship, which Elon Musk hopes to make fully reusable before it is ready for commercial flights or missions to the Moon and Mars.