SpaceX Starship Achieves Major Milestone: Successful Splashdown of Booster and Landing Burn of Capsule

SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, has successfully completed its fourth test flight, marking a significant step forward for the program. The launch was notable for achieving a controlled splashdown of its Super Heavy booster and the first-ever controlled landing burn of the Starship capsule in the Indian Ocean. This success follows previous test flights that ended in explosions, showcasing SpaceX's rapid spiral development approach. Starship is crucial to NASA's Artemis lunar program, aiming to return humans to the moon by 2026. SpaceX is also working towards using Starship for future missions to Mars. However, the test launches have sparked controversy due to environmental concerns and effects on local communities near the launch site in Boca Chica, Texas.

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Sources: - https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/spacexs-next-starship-test-flight-surviving-hypersonic-return-is-key-2024-06-06/ - https://apnews.com/5435fe4e7a9039e08259424b3c4a366f - https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/06/science/spacex-starship-launch-fourth-test-flight-scn/index.html - https://thehill.com/homenews/space/4707915-spacex-starship-rocket-first-successful-test-flight-without-explosion/ - https://www.popsci.com/science/starship-fourth-launch/