The upper stage of the Starship successfully landed in the Indian Ocean during its fifth test flight on October 13, after the Super Heavy booster was safely returned to the ground using the launch tower’s “arms.”
The upper stage of SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft landed in the Indian Ocean on October 13. (Video: SpaceX).
In a video released by SpaceX on October 18 via X, the upper stage of the Starship can be seen executing a turn and performing a water landing on October 13.
Previously, SpaceX made history by successfully recovering the Super Heavy booster using the launch tower’s “arms” approximately 7 minutes after liftoff.
Afterward, the 50-meter tall upper stage of the Starship, also known as the Ship, successfully returned to Earth, landing at a precise location in the Indian Ocean, about halfway around the world from the launch site in South Texas.
SpaceX successfully recovered the Super Heavy rocket booster on October 13. (Video: Space).
“The spin maneuver and landing burn of the Starship during the fifth test flight. Enhancements to the vehicle ensured that the fins were protected from high temperatures, leading to controlled descent and precise landing in the target area in the Indian Ocean,” SpaceX noted in a post on X.
In a reply to the post on X, Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX, wrote on October 18: “Awesome, what a great video!”
There may not be many more ocean landings in the future for the Ship. SpaceX plans to have both the upper stage and Super Heavy return to land on the launch tower in the future—something that seems entirely achievable given the success of the fifth test flight, according to Musk.
“Starship achieved a precise and gentle landing in the ocean, paving the way for a return to the launch site and capture by the arms of the tower, just like the booster. Complete and rapid reusability helps improve the cost of access to orbit and beyond. This is the fundamental technological breakthrough needed to make multi-planetary life a reality and for us to become a true spacefaring civilization,” Musk stated in another post on X on October 18.
Earlier, Musk shared plans to catch the upper stage of Starship using the arms, similar to the Super Heavy booster, by early 2025.
SpaceX is developing the 122-meter tall Starship. The launch system includes the Super Heavy launch vehicle and the Starship spacecraft above it. The rocket booster is located on the first stage, while the spacecraft carries crew and cargo on the second stage. The role of the rocket is to take the Starship to a point in orbit, after which the Starship will continue flying using its own engines while the rocket returns to Earth. Both components are reusable.
Catching the Starship at the launch tower may not apply to all rocket missions. For example, the upper stage will carry crew to the surface of the Moon and Mars; if all goes according to plan, these missions will likely require vertical landings using thrust with the support of landing legs.
NASA has selected the Starship for astronaut landings on the Moon as part of the Artemis program. When the Starship undertakes the journey to the Moon, it will need to remain in low Earth orbit while SpaceX launches separate support vehicles to refuel it. The mission to carry astronauts to the Moon is scheduled to take place as early as 2026.
