A Test Flight of the Space Shuttle Spacecraft Embedded in a Spacecraft Launching System during the March 20th Birthday of SpaceX

NASA administrator Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX on the test flight, saying that it was “an opportunity to learn — then fly again”. The agency is working with another aerospace company, Blue Origin in Kent, Washington, to develop a lunar lander for future Moon visits.

On paper, NASA is still planning to carry humans to the lunar surface, as part of its Artemis III mission, in December 2025. Most people don’t think this schedule is doable because of all the things that need to be done. NASA could change the Artemis III mission so that it doesn’t involve landing people on the Moon.

If founder Musk is able to make it happen, the spaceship he created could take people to the moon and then maybe even to Mars within a decade or two. Last weekend’s second near-orbital test flight of the huge rocket fared better than the first one on April 20, surviving stage separation and crossing the edge of space before it self-destructed about 10 minutes after liftoff.

During this test flight, Starship reached an altitude of nearly 150 kilometres, placing it in space before it exploded. The plan had been for the traveler to fly around the planet and make a splash in Hawaii.

In its latest attempt, Starship performed better than it did during its first major test flight in April, which also ended in an explosion. This time, the rocket booster successfully lit all 33 engines, some of which had faltered in April. This time, it didn’t cause serious damage to the launch pad or the environment. Perhaps most importantly, the rocket booster and Starship made it past the point at which they separate. In this rare example of a ‘hot staging’ process, the craft’s engines were deliberately ignited earlier than usual while Starship was separating from its booster.

If NASA is to achieve its goal of putting astronauts on the Moon later this decade, it needs to prove itself. At least 15 Starships could pull off the lunar landing. No successful flights have been demonstrated yet.

The First Spacecraft to Reach Outer Space: The Decay of the X-Ray Booster that Killed on a Starship

The rocket booster that carried Starship blew up after it separated from the craft. The US Federal Aviation Administration will oversee an investigation into the explosions and will need to approve any future tests.

After the launch on X, there was a post about the test that said success comes from what we learn.

But, this time, after stage separation, the booster detonated over the Gulf of Mexico rather than making a controlled landing. An unknown issue caused the Starship spacecraft to explode before the engine was cut off. SpaceX mission control announced it had lost contact with the rocket. The company did not address why the rocket failed or what caused the lost signal, and it hasn’t responded to requests for comment. At the time of the April flight, there was a delay between the activation of the termination system and the explosion. This time, the self-destruct system worked correctly. According to the company’s post, the vehicle reached an altitude of about 150 kilometers, “becoming the first Starship to reach outer space and nearly completing its full-duration burn.”