The rocket is expected to turn SpaceX’s ambition of settling on Mars into reality, while also facilitating intercontinental flights on Earth.
During the third test launch on the evening of March 14 (Vietnam time), SpaceX successfully launched the “super rocket” Starship from the launch pad and into space.
The Starship rocket successfully launched at SpaceX’s test launch facility, near Boca Chica Beach, Texas, USA (Photo: SpaceX).
“Starship has achieved orbital velocity,” declared Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, on social media platform Twitter. “Congratulations to SpaceX.”
Elon Musk further shared that this success is particularly meaningful as it coincided with the 22nd anniversary of SpaceX’s founding.
This launch was the third test mission (IFT-3) for the Starship rocket. In both previous attempts, the rocket failed to launch successfully and even exploded during operation, causing significant damage to the launch site.
However, thanks to the experience gained from the prior two launches, the Starship super rocket was able to achieve a successful launch this time.
For this launch, SpaceX engineers made several modifications and improvements, especially to the rocket’s second stage. The main goal was to enhance the durability, performance, and efficiency of Starship.
Specifically, the Starship rocket added “bell-shaped” navigation fins, adjusted the vents in the methane and liquid oxygen tank areas, and made aesthetic changes to the heat shield.
Additionally, some components were removed and many other details were modified, but the overall structure of the rocket remained unchanged.
For the Super Heavy booster (the first stage of the rocket), minor adjustments were also made, including small design modifications to improve performance and allow the rocket to carry more propellant. Furthermore, new Starlink terminals (for connectivity and signal transmission) were installed on this stage.
The successful rocket test launch promises to usher in a new era for SpaceX. (Photo: SpaceX).
The completion of the test flight’s orbit marks an important milestone for the Starship system in particular and the aviation industry in the United States in general.
This is the rocket that will be used for NASA’s Artemis 3 mission, aimed at landing humans on the Moon for the first time in 50 years since the historic Apollo mission.
Artemis 3 is scheduled to be launched in 2026. Thus, the Starship rocket has less than two years to meet NASA’s stringent vehicle standards and work towards this historic milestone.
According to SpaceX’s announcement, in this trial, the Starship rocket flew significantly farther than previous attempts, completing a journey through low Earth orbit but encountered issues during its return to Earth.
Subsequently, the spacecraft launched by the rocket lost communication and may have been destroyed or broken apart during re-entry into the atmosphere or fell into the sea.
Currently, Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket in the world, standing at 122 meters tall, weighing 5,000 tons, equipped with 33 Raptor and Raptor Vacuum engines, capable of burning liquid methane and liquid oxygen stored in its tanks.
In the short term, the Starship rocket will focus on launching satellites. Later, the rocket will serve space tourists and transport astronauts to the Moon under the Artemis program.
In the longer term, the rocket is expected to make SpaceX’s ambition of establishing a settlement on Mars a reality, while also enabling intercontinental flights on Earth.
