What Happened
Giant Booster Achieves On-Target Splashdown Off Texas Gulf Coast
SpaceX launched its 13th Super Heavy-Starship rocket on Friday, with the giant booster achieving an on-target but ‘hard’ splashdown off the Texas Gulf Coast. The Starship upper stage completed a successful sub-orbital hop to the Indian Ocean, deploying 20 third-generation Starlink internet satellites and demonstrating the rocket’s ability to re-start in space. The test flight was a major step forward for SpaceX’s development of the Super Heavy-Starship, which is expected to play a key role in NASA’s Artemis program. The successful test was reported by Spaceflight Now.