SpaceX thrives on its launches and its publicity stunts. On June 5, Elon Musk’s company performed fourth launch its Starship mega-rocket, which should take astronauts to the surface of the Moon by 2026 (even if this schedule is considered ambitious).
Just 8 minutes after liftoff, the first stage of the rocket, Booster B11, gently returned to Earth. True to the space company’s philosophy, the long-term goal is indeed to return the Starship’s two stages for reuse.
For this test launch – there will be many more – the US company wanted to demonstrate its ability to gently descend the first stage after a modulated 13-engine restart. If eventually 12 was able to relaunch, the controlled landing in the Gulf of Mexico was a success.
The same is true of the second stage, ship 29. Despite having one fin partially melted at the joint during atmospheric re-entry, it survived and successfully completed its maneuver in the Indian Ocean.
A spectacular summary of the flight in the author’s pictures StarBase EN :