SpaceX carried out its sixth Starship test flight, with CEO Elon Musk and US President-elect Donald Trump collaborating from the control room on Tuesday.
While the launch proceeded without major issues, SpaceX quickly abandoned its attempt to capture the first-stage Super Heavy booster, opting instead for a conventional ocean splashdown.
The Starship took off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Brownsville, Texas, at 4 p.m. local time (5 p.m. EST/ 2 p.m. PST). Building on the fifth test flight from the previous month, this mission had several key objectives, including reigniting the Raptor engine while in orbit, experimenting with the heat shield, and evaluating new manoeuvres during reentry.
However, the most notable part of this flight was the second trial of SpaceX’s Mechazilla, the towering launch structure at Starbase. The aim was to use Mechazilla’s “chopstick” arms to catch the Super Heavy booster mid-air, rather than allowing it to land in the ocean.
But just minutes into the flight, SpaceX decided to abort the booster-catching attempt, stating that the conditions necessary for a successful capture had not been met. Consequently, the Super Heavy booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, with SpaceX providing no further details on the reasons behind the abort.
In a previous test of this system in October, Mechazilla successfully caught the booster, demonstrating the possibility of a fully reusable rocket. SpaceX’s ultimate goal is for both the Super Heavy booster and the entire Starship system to be entirely reusable.
Despite the setback with the booster, the other mission objectives were largely successful. As the Super Heavy booster separated from the Starship, the spacecraft fired up its six Raptor engines to begin a coast phase. During this phase, Starship successfully reignited one of its Raptor engines while still in space, a milestone for the company.
Finally, SpaceX tested the Starship’s heat shield by deliberately removing several tiles from the previous configuration. To push Starship’s limits, the spacecraft entered a more aggressive descent angle than usual, manoeuvring nose-first instead of its standard “belly flop” position. This manoeuvre was designed to stress-test the flaps on the spacecraft, ensuring they could maintain control and slow the vehicle during reentry.
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