Jun 7, 2024 - Technology

Starship sticks the landing

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and its massive reusable booster made their first controlled water landings yesterday.

Why it matters: It's a significant achievement for the vehicles, which are key to NASA's Artemis program, following failures in previous tests.

Driving the news: Starship launched atop the Super Heavy booster from Boca Chica, Texas, around 8:50 a.m. ET yesterday.

After the spacecraft separated from the booster, the Super Heavy made a controlled descent back to Earth and softly splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico.
Starship then coasted to an altitude of around 132 miles before performing a flip maneuver and a nail-biting controlled landing into the Indian Ocean.