SpaceX’s “Starship” rocket takes off for a test flight from the Starbase in Texas.Image: keystone
The largest rocket system in history recently failed to launch twice. It has now completed its 13th test flight – and also achieved a first.
July 25, 2026, 09:20July 25, 2026, 09:20
SpaceX’s Starship rocket system completed its 13th test flight largely as planned. The rocket took off from the company’s spaceport in the US state of Texas and flew unmanned through space, as the DPA news agency reports. For the first time, 20 functioning Starlink satellites were used, which burned up in the atmosphere as planned after being deployed.
The upper rocket stage plunged into the Indian Ocean in a controlled manner around an hour after launch. Shortly after take-off, the lower stage fell as planned into the sea near the launch site.
Test canceled last week
The test flight had been delayed several times: a first attempt around a week ago had to be aborted shortly before takeoff because some engines failed to fire. The weather then prevented another attempt. The flight that has now been completed was the second time that the so-called version 3 of the Starship was used, which, according to SpaceX, has been completely revised in terms of design and performance.
The Starship consists of two parts: the approximately 70 meter long Booster Super Heavy and the upper stage, also called Starship, which is approximately 50 meters long. Together, the system towers over the Statue of Liberty in New York. Both parts are designed to be reused after returning to Earth.
The US space agency NASA plans to send astronauts to the moon with the Starship. SpaceX also aims to one day use the system for flights to Mars.
The rocket system completed its first test in April 2023, when it exploded completely after a few minutes. During later tests, the upper stage reached space and landed in a controlled manner in the Indian Ocean. However, several test flights fell well short of expectations.
SpaceX recently completed the company’s largest IPO to date. However, the share then fell below the issue price.
Sources used:
- With material from the dpa news agency
(hkl)