SpaceX
Elon Musk treated Donald Trump to quite the show Tuesday … as SpaceX’s Starship megarocket blasted off into space in an attempt to make a perfect landing back on the launchpad … though they both had to settle for saltwater splash-downs.
The biggest rocket ever made launched from the company’s Starbase launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas for Starship Flight 6 … in a test to see if both stages of the spacecraft — the Super Heavy booster and the Starship capsule — would return safely back to Earth … and Trump had a front-row seat.
SpaceX
After blasting off and travelling into space, the Super Heavy booster essentially flew in reverse back to Earth — it was supposed to be “grabbed” by the launch and catch tower’s “chopstick” arms, but it instead landed in the Gulf of Mexico. A couple minutes into the mission, SpaceX had announced a “no go” for the attempted booster catch. The booster was meant to be reusable, but won’t be since it landed in saltwater, which it’s not designed to withstand.
Meanwhile, the Starship capsule — which was sent into space by the Super Heavy booster, and will be used to ferry astronauts to the moon, and ultimately Mars, according to Musk — made a successful controlled descent into the Indian Ocean.
While orbiting the Earth, the Starship capsule successfully reignited one of its Raptor engines … a first for the mission.
Elon has polarized folks in this country with his involvement in American politics … backing Trump and then bringing the President-elect to Tuesday’s launch … but there’s no denying Musk runs a company with some pretty ingenious innovations.
NASA plans to use the Starship spacecraft for its Artemis missions to the moon, currently scheduled to happen in 2026.