SpaceX launches Starship on test flight with the most advanced Starlinks

SpaceX’s mammoth Starship rocket blasted off Friday on another test flight stretching halfway around the world, this time carrying 20 of the most advanced Starlinks.

SpaceX’s mammoth Starship rocket blasted off Friday on another test flight stretching halfway around the world, this time carrying 20 of the most advanced Starlinks.

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Towering 407 feet, Starship soared from the company’s base at the southern tip of Texas. NASA monitored the space-skimming flight, a critical step toward using the Starship as a lunar lander for moon crews.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX replaced six of the 33 engines on the first-stage booster after they failed to ignite last week, resulting in a last-second launch abort. The previous Starship flight in May also experienced engine trouble, which prevented the booster from making a controlled return.