SpaceX’s huge Super Heavy Starship rocket, by far the most powerful ever built, has blasted off on its third test flight.
The massive Starship vehicle lifted off on Thursday morning, March 14, 2024, at 9:25 a.m. EDT (1325 GMT) from the company’s manufacturing and test launch facilities near Boca Chica Beach.
“Starship reached orbital velocity,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced on X (formerly Twitter) after liftoff. “Congratulations SpaceX team!!”
The launch occurred on the 22nd anniversary of SpaceX’s founding in 2002, the company said.
This test flight follows two previous attempts in 2023 to propel the massive Starship vehicle to orbital velocities, both of which ended in explosions, with the spacecraft and booster erupting into flames before reaching their intended landing sites.
In the first attempt, the vehicle lost control and exploded, while the second was thwarted by an onboard fire triggering its self-destruct mechanism.
Despite these setbacks, SpaceX has embraced fiery mishaps in the early stages of spacecraft development, viewing them as opportunities to swiftly implement design changes that lead to improved outcomes.
Crucially, NASA has selected the Starship spacecraft to land astronauts launched from the United States on the moon for the first time in over five decades as part of its Artemis program. This initiative places NASA in a competitive race with China to establish a permanent lunar outpost and set the precedent for deep-space settlements.
With NASA committing up to $4 billion in funding for Starship, the spacecraft is poised to play a pivotal role in the agency’s crewed mission to the moon. The first astronaut landing under the Artemis program is slated for as soon as September 2026.
Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO, has expressed confidence in the success of this upcoming test flight, estimating an 80% probability of reaching orbit.
He emphasized the advancements made since the last test flight, noting that the third iteration of Starship is substantially improved compared to its predecessors.
While the previous test flight in November fell short of achieving orbit, it demonstrated the vehicle’s capability to reach the high speeds necessary for orbital missions.
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