Elon Musk is celebrating the success of the Starship's third test flight, one that he claims to be the spacecraft that will bring humans to Mars in the future. Despite the unprecedented "loss" of both the Ship 28 and Super Heavy Booster rockets on its supposed splashdown, there are still massive takeaways to this milestone on SpaceX's recent development.
One of the new things added by SpaceX in this Starship flight was the Starlink satellite internet connectivity, offering a live feed amidst the mission.
Elon Musk: Starship for Mars-Third Flight Highlights
The company considers this third test flight of Starship a success, with Elon Musk already touting the future venture of the spacecraft for a possible Mars mission that is yet to unfold. In his claim, the executive said that "Starship will take humanity to Mars," but he did not provide a timeline or when this would exactly take place, including any possible partners for the venture like NASA.
That being said, in this launch of the Starship, it was able to fire all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster, claiming that this is the second time since last year. Additionally, this was a full-duration burn which its sustained on the first stage.
Additionally, it was successful in its hot-stage separation where it powered down 30 of these engines, with three remaining. The Super Heavy also completed its flip maneuver before descending to the Gulf of Mexico.
Next, all six Raptor engines of the main ship fired to help it reach its orbit. The caveat is Super Heavy experienced a RUD (rapid unscheduled disassembly, a.k.a. were lost or destroyed) as it was going down.
Starlink Internet Onboard Starship for Live Feed
Throughout all this, SpaceX's Starship was equipped with Starlink terminals which provided a live feed to the world from inside the ship, boasting of its high-speed internet while aboard a spaceship running at 27,000 kph (roughly 16,777 miles per hour).
Reliable high-speed, low-latency internet around the world—even while traveling at 27,000 km/h through a plasma field 🛰️🚀 https://t.co/FPELfpWq6M
— Starlink (@Starlink) March 14, 2024
At the 49th-minute mark of the mission, the Starlink feed was cut, marking the conclusion of the third test flight and signaling the loss of Ship 28. Next launches may have Starlink terminals onboard again for the Starship's live feed.
SpaceX's Starship and its Test Flights
In this recent experimental test of SpaceX, the company wasted no time in bringing a mission for the Starship a day after it was given the go signal by the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). This marked the third test flight of the massive Starship assembly, consisting of the main rocket ship and the Super Heavy Booster, both making a milestone for today's venture.
However, it was not absolutely successful apart from its achievement of reaching space, as the Starship mission saw a disassembly before it splashed down the Indian Ocean for its supposed return.
Earlier this year, the FAA only finished the investigation on the second test flight of the Starship, requiring SpaceX to apply various corrective actions before its license.
This recent test flight marked the first launch of the Starship this year, but the company is gunning for bigger numbers as it plans as many as nine ventures for the spacecraft in 2024 alone.
The milestones achieved in this third Starship mission are spectacular, with the company showing off its latest developments to the world, and Elon Musk already touting a Mars mission for this yet-to-land spacecraft.
