Starship completes fifth test flight, splashes down in Indian Ocean

Science & Space October 13, 17:59

For the first time, SpaceX succeeded in bringing back and safely landing the Super Heavy booster, which descended from an altitude of more than 100 kilometers to sit on a launch pad, called Mechazilla

NEW YORK, October 13. /TASS/. SpaceX, owned by US celebrity entrepreneur Elon Musk, has successfully completed the fifth test launch of the Super Heavy carrier rocket with a Starship prototype, according to a live stream on the company’s X page.

The Starship reached an altitude of 212 kilometers and reentered Earth’s atmosphere about 50 minutes after takeoff to splash down in the Indian Ocean, as expected.

For the first time, SpaceX succeeded in bringing back and safely landing the Super Heavy booster, which descended from an altitude of more than 100 kilometers to sit on a launch pad, called Mechazilla, near Boca Chica, Texas.

The launch was watched by around four million viewers.

The Starship system is expected to be used in various modification to perform both manned flights to near-Earth orbit and to carry out missions to the moon and Mars, as well as to deliver satellites.

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