SpaceX successfully launched the third test flight of the Starship heavy-lift launch vehicle, marking a significant milestone in the development of the massive rocket. The launch took place on March 14, Beijing time, with the separation of the first and second stages occurring 4 minutes after liftoff.
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, congratulated the Starship team for achieving orbital velocity during the third test flight. This success comes after two previous test flights, which ended in failure, including one that resulted in the rocket exploding minutes after liftoff.
The Starship Super Rocket is a two-stage launch vehicle designed for carrying astronauts to the moon and potentially to Mars in the future. NASA has invested nearly $4 billion in the project, with plans to use the Starship for its Artemis program to land astronauts on the moon by 2026.
During the third test flight, SpaceX aimed to demonstrate various capabilities of the Starship, including igniting a Raptor engine in space, opening and closing the payload door, performing a propellant transfer demonstration, and re-entering the atmosphere in a controlled manner.
The Starship is currently the largest and most powerful launch vehicle in the world, standing at about 120 meters tall with a diameter of about 9 meters. The rocket consists of a Super Heavy booster with multiple Raptor engines at the bottom and a reusable spacecraft at the top.
SpaceX’s successful test flight of the Starship brings humanity one step closer to realizing the dream of interplanetary exploration and colonization. Musk’s vision of making life multi-planetary is becoming more achievable with each successful launch.
(Source: Daily Economic News)