SpaceX launches mammoth Starship on another test flight this time with most advanced Starlinks

SpaceX’s mammoth Starship rocket blasted off Friday on another test flight stretching halfway around the world, this time releasing 20 of the most advanced Starlinks.Towering 407 feet, Starship soared from the company’s base at the southern tip of Texas.NASA monitored the space-skimming flight, a critical step toward using the Starship as a lunar lander for moon crews.The hourlong journey ended with a splashdown so soft that the spacecraft remained afloat in the Indian Ocean as the SpaceX webcast drew to a close, drawing cheers from employees back at the launch site.Elon Musk’s SpaceX had replaced six of the 33 engines on the first-stage booster after they failed to ignite last week, resulting in a last-second launch abort.The previous Starship flight in May also experienced engine trouble, which prevented the booster from making a controlled return.This time, all of the engines fired at liftoff, but not enough of them lit back up for the booster’s return, causing it to descend too fast and slam into the Gulf of Mexico.The spacecraft continued soaring eastward, popping out the Starlinks one by one 124 miles up before reentering.It was the 13th flight of the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket, and the second this year of the new version dubbed V3.Like the previous demo, neither the booster nor spacecraft was meant to be saved, instead plunging into the sea.The stainless steel, retro-looking spacecraft hovered upright over the Indian Ocean before lowering into the water, more than 10,000 miles from where the flight began.It was the best reentry yet, according to SpaceX, with the intact booster floating amid just a few flames.

Previous flights ended with the spacecraft engulfed in flames and exploding at splashdown — or rupturing in midair.“We’re really pumped about this,” said SpaceX engineer Kate Tice, calling it “lucky flight 13.”The Starlinks accomplished all their jobs before reentering over the Indian Ocean.After being ejected f...