SpaceX launches Starship in test with Trump in attendance

SpaceX launched its Starship rocket system on its sixth test flight Tuesday, with Donald Trump in attendance at the company’s launch pad in Texas.

Trump’s presence underscores the close ties SpaceX owner Elon Musk has established with the president-elect after pouring more than $100 million into his campaign.

The nearly 400-foot-tall structure — which features the Starship spacecraft stacked atop a Super Heavy booster — lifted off faultless at 14:00 Pacific Standard Time from Starbase, the company’s facility in the Brownsville, Texas area next to the Gulf of Mexico. The unmanned spacecraft was sent on its way to a splashdown in the Indian Ocean, while the booster returned to Earth less than seven minutes later.

The booster completed a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, but was unable to complete a return to the launch pad, where it had to be caught by giant mechanical arms, called “chopsticks”, attached to the launch tower—a remarkable first feat. attempted and achieved on Starship’s fifth test flight on 13 October.

It was not entirely clear why the booster was unable to return to the launch tower, but SpaceX said factors include the safety of the launch team, the pad and the public.

The test flight was expected to end about an hour after takeoff after the Starship completed several maneuvers en route to a controlled ocean landing more than 3,000 miles away.

The Launch system for a spaceship is the largest and most powerful ever built, with more thrust than the gigantic Saturn V that propelled the Apollo astronauts to the moon. SpaceX has a $4 billion contract to develop a “lunar lander” version of the Starship spacecraft that can return astronauts to the moon as part of its Artemis III mission, scheduled for September 2026.

However, Musk developed the rocket system to take astronauts to Mars, something he wanted to achieve in his lifetime. Trump has expressed interest in such an endeavor and wondered why the space agency has been focused on the moon.

“I’m on my way to the great state of Texas to witness the launch of the largest object ever to be lifted, not only into space, but simply by lifting it off the ground. Good luck to Elon Musk and the great patriots involved in this incredible project!” the president-elect Posted Tuesday on the conservative social media network Truth Social before the test flight.

Musk has transformed the space industry by creating reusable booster rockets that cut costs, such as the company’s workhorse Falcon 9, which launches satellites into space. Reusing the Super Heavy booster dramatically reduced costs, as each booster is powered by 33 engines fueled by methane. The reusable upper Starship spacecraft is powered by six engines.

Musk, who splits time managing Tesla and his other companies, was tapped by Trump last week to lead a Department of Government Efficiency agency along with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. However, many details remain to be worked out – including the fact that the department does not even exist.