Los Angeles (MidLand) – SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on its fourth test flight Thursday (6/6) from a facility called Starbase in South Texas.
The rocket, which took off around 07:50 local time (19:50 WIB) near the village of Boca Chica, successfully completed its first test flight, returned to Earth and crashed into the Indian Ocean.
Minutes after liftoff, SpaceX confirmed that the Raptor engines on Starship ignited during hot stage separation. The first stage booster, known as the Super Heavy, performs a rollover maneuver and performs a boostback burn.
The Super Heavy lands in the Gulf of Mexico. The spaceship glides through space and re-enters Earth’s atmosphere. Approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes after launch, SpaceX confirmed that Starship landed in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk congratulated the SpaceX team on this achievement. “Despite the loss of many tiles and a damaged wing, the spaceship managed to land safely in the ocean!” Musk wrote on social media platform X.
According to SpaceX, the fourth flight followed the same trajectory as the previous test flight.
The company’s three previous tests resulted in the rocket’s destruction before the flight was completed.
SpaceX said the third test flight marked a dramatic advance for the future of fast and reliable reusable rockets.
The test marked several exciting firsts, including Starship’s first reentry (re-entry) from space, the opening and closing of Starship’s payload door in space for the first time, and the successful demonstration of propellant transfer.
According to SpaceX, the goal of the fourth test flight includes everything from reaching orbit to demonstrating the ability to rehome and reuse Starship and Super Heavy.
The primary goal is to perform soft landing and ditching maneuvers in the Gulf of Mexico with the Super Heavy booster, as well as achieve controlled entry onto the spacecraft.
According to SpaceX, the SpaceX team will also implement operational changes, including launching the hot stage of the Super Heavy after boostback to reduce the mass of the booster for the final stages of flight.
SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket, collectively called Starship, represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Journalist: Xinhua
Publisher: Desi Purnamawati
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