SpaceX on Friday launched its latest edition of the Starship spacecraft as Elon Musk’s rocket company is nearing a record-breaking public listing.
The voyage experienced a few minor issues, but SpaceX employees erupted in cheers in a livestream.
The trial flight comes as SpaceX prepares for what could be the biggest initial public offering in history next month.
SpaceX launches its 12th Starship
The third-generation Starship, dubbed V3, blasted off from the southern tip of Texas at just after 5:30 pm local time (2230 GMT).
The test ended about an hour later when the mammoth rocket reached the Indian Ocean before erupting in flames upon impact.
“You scored a goal for humanity,” Musk wrote on X.
At just over 407 feet (124 meters) when fully stacked, the latest design is bigger than the older Starship lines.
It’s the 12th test flight of the rocket designed for future NASA missions to the moon and even Mars.
NASA’s new Moon mission
Ahead of the launch, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said during the pre-launch SpaceX program: “We’re looking forward to seeing this fly, because hopefully at some point in the not too distant future we’re going to join up in Earth orbit.”
NASA is preparing to land humans on the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years through the Artemis Program, as China targets 2030 for its first crewed mission.
The space agency is paying both SpaceX and Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, billions of dollars to build the lunar landers for Artemis astronauts. (DW)