American spacecraft manufacturer, SpaceX achieves an extraordinary milestone as their rocket ship successfully makes its way down to Earth after being tested for its next mission.
SpaceX works with multi-billionaire Elon Musk to advance human spaceflight; they did exactly that. Starship, SpaceX’s latest model, lifted off the ground on Oct. 13, for the fifth time, as it is known to be the largest and most powerful rocket in the world. Starship will bring this company one step closer to paving the way to Mars. It is a completely new edition, as it is designed to be a fully reusable transportation tool, which is cheaper to manipulate compared to existing rockets.
This reusable technology creates more opportunities to cut launch costs by millions of dollars.
Why is the rocket ship so significant for the future of spacecraft? Starship is capable of carrying up to 100 people for long distances and extended periods of time. It’s a highly respected ship, as it’s dedicated to orbiting the Moon, Mars, and beyond with an advanced technology system. Starship also holds a large compartment, creating an efficient transportation system for satellites, telescopes, and cargo. It’s approximately 397 feet tall and almost 30 feet in diameter, which contributes to its shocking launch.
There are two parts to the SpaceX Launch: the booster and the landing.
SpaceX’s 33 engine, Super Heavy booster rocket was used to successfully launch the ship into space and back down. The purpose of the booster launch was to test if it will return, as many land in the ocean. The launch was an extraordinary feat. It blasted off from SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas and safely back down with roaring crowds. The booster of the rocket returned to the launchpad on its first try, used by two mechanical metal arms, known as the “chopsticks” for the tower.
Three minutes and 40 seconds later, the booster separated from the rocket ship. Starship was sent soaring more than 130 miles into the atmosphere and flipped several times in the air. It eventually went part way around the atmosphere and traveled to Australia over the Southern Indian Ocean.
Starship eventually exploded in that area; but rather it’s not that significant compared to the bigger story, which was the booster.
What’s next for the Starship and the Super Heavy booster is to set these rockets back into space for the next upcoming mission. The company is looking forward to testing the rocket five times a year to make sure that it will be ready to send astronauts to Mars. NASA will soon use SpaceX’s Starship to carry U.S. astronauts to the moon as well.
Musk, Space X’s founder and CEO partakes in an enormous opportunity.
“Big step towards making life multiplanetary was made today,” he wrote on X (previously known as Twitter).
Musk makes it his utmost responsibility to “make life multiplanetary”, ever since his interview that he partakes in in 2011. He’s very keen in continuing to expand our knowledge of the world and explore the stars, although some may believe it’s a preposterous goal.
SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot adds to this remarkable event.
“Are you kidding me?” Huot said. “Even in this day and age, what we just saw–that looked like magic.”
SpaceX’s Starship may just be the future. After years of confirming the ship’s capability of being launched to nearby planets, who’s to say that we can’t possibly discover life on Mars?
