Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched its sixth Starship test flight to space on Tuesday from Texas, eyeing an array of improvements on the rocket as U.S. president-elect Donald Trump watched in person.
The roughly 122-metre-tall rocket system, designed to land astronauts on the moon and ferry crews to Mars, lifted off at 4 p.m. CT from SpaceX’s sprawling rocket development site in Boca Chica, Texas.
The first stage, called Super Heavy, unexpectedly made a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico instead of attempting to return to its launchpad, indicating something went wrong.
WATCH | Elon Musk, Donald Trump watch spaceship launch: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump joined SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to watch the sixth Starship rocket test launch. The rocket system is intended to land astronauts to the moon and eventually transport people to Mars. Trump recently appointed the billionaire to co-lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency.
Starship, in space, will travel around Earth for a planned daytime …