SpaceX achieved a long-sought breakthrough on Wednesday, landing the 15th prototype of its Starship next-generation rocket fully intact.
It’s the first text flight to do so.
Several of the prototypes were destroyed while trying to land, exploded shortly after landing or blew up just before touchdown. While a small fire appeared to start at the base of the rocket after it landed, officials said it was quickly contained.
"A great day for the Starship teams - these test flights are all about improving our understanding and development of a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo on long-duration interplanetary flights, and help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond," said a statement posted on the SpaceX website.
The test flight at the company’s Texas Starbase included a successful climb to about 30,000 feet and a controlled flip before descending and landing upright as expected.
CEO Elon Musk confirmed the successful test on Twitter.
SpaceX has scheduled two other test flights of the fully reusable module.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram