Starship completes 1st test flight since SpaceX IPO

https://p.dw.com/p/5HjHvNASA monitored the flight, a key step toward using the Starship for future crewed Moon missionsImage: Eric Gay/AP Photo/picture allianceAdvertisementSpaceX's Starship megarocket completed a test flight on Friday, the first since Elon Musk's company went public on Wall Street in June.

The ship splashed down into the Indian Ocean, which was celebrated by SpaceX employees watching along from the firm's headquarters in Starbase, Texas. "Starship is intact, floating in the ocean and transmitting telemetry!" Musk said on X.

This was the world's most powerful rocket's 13th flight. Previous tests had ended with Starship in flames and exploding at splashdown, or breaking up in midair. What do we know about the latest SpaceX Starship test?

Starship, which is around 122 meters (400 feet) tall, deployed 20 Starlink satellites into suborbital space. After ​briefly contacting SpaceX's network of around 10,000 orbiting satellites, they reentered Earth's ​atmosphere and burned up as planned.It was the 13th test flight and the second this year of the third-generation Starship, dubbed V3Image: Eric Gay/AP Photo/picture alliance The hourlong test "will provide critical data as we prepare to expand our Starlink constellation" of the company's satellite internet service, SpaceX said.

By the end of 2026, SpaceX aims to use the Starship rocket to expand its Starlink network with the V3 satellites, providing coverage in remote areas where traditional cellular networks are unavailable. Edited by: Karl Sexton Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the "star" or "preferred" button, so you'll always see our verified news first.

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