SpaceX completes sixth Starship flight, with both booster and spacecraft splashing down

SpaceX launched the sixth test flight of its Starship rocket on Tuesday, as the company looks to keep up momentum of the mammoth vehicle’s development.

SpaceX launched the sixth test flight of its Starship rocket on Tuesday, as the company looks to keep up momentum of the mammoth vehicle’s development.

The rocket took off from SpaceX’s private “Starbase” facility near Brownsville, Texas. There were not any people onboard the Starship flight.

Starship reached space and traveled halfway around the Earth before reentering the atmosphere and splashing down in the Indian Ocean.

SpaceX had aimed to return the rocket’s “Super Heavy” booster after it separated from Starship and land it on the arms of the company’s launch tower. But SpaceX said during its webcast that the booster did not clear its “commit criteria” needed for the catch attempt, so the booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico instead.

As with each previous test flight, SpaceX is pushing development further by testing additional Starship capabilities, including this time reigniting an engine while in space and testing new elements of its heatshield.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/spacex-rocket-launch-starship-flight-rcna180894

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