SpaceX has completed the 14th test launch of its giant Starship rocket. The flight is rightfully considered historic – the first time a new type of rocket reached Earth orbit. Although SpaceX encountered many problems immediately after launch.
Image source: SpaceXAI
The rocket was launched from Starbase in Texas at 8:49 local time (15:49 Moscow time). Seventy-five seconds after launch, one of the 33 Raptor 3 engines on the super-heavy first stage shut down, but that did not stop the flight from continuing. About 2 minutes and 34 seconds after liftoff, the upper stage of Ship 41 successfully separated from the super-heavy booster through thermal separation.
After separation, the Super Heavy booster performed a return maneuver and descended vertically into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. As planned, before splashing down, the accelerator slows down and then explodes in a huge explosion, ending its journey in a fireball.
The starship then continued flying, but during acceleration, one of the Raptor 3 engines unexpectedly shut down early. The ship is able to compensate for the loss of thrust and achieve major acceleration. After assessing the situation, SpaceX experts decided to proceed with the mission.
At an altitude of approximately 275 kilometers, Spacecraft 41 successfully performed the first orbital engine burn maneuver in Starship history, using a single Raptor 3 to form a nearly circular orbit around the Earth.
After entering orbit, the starship begins its next critical task: payload deployment. The ship begins production of 26 upgraded Starlink V3 satellites that should form the basis of SpaceX’s next-generation satellite network.
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