Image source: topwar.ru
The American company SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, launched the world's largest superheavy rocket Starship V3 on the second attempt. Its length is 124 meters, and the thrust is about eight thousand tons.
The successful test launch was announced by the SpaceX press service.
The rocket consists of two stages. The lower one, called Super Heavy, acts as an accelerator and reaches a length of 70 meters. And the length of the upper step is about 50 meters.
The launch was carried out from the spaceport in Texas last night at 17.30 (today at 1.30 Moscow time).
Image source: topwar.ru
After takeoff, the rocket leveled off and assumed an upright position. Her flight in outer space lasted about an hour. At that moment, one of the rocket's six engines stopped working, and it was moving on the other five. The lower stage separated shortly after launch and fell into the Gulf of Mexico. The main part of the rocket completed its mission and made a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean.
The launch was scheduled a day earlier, but it was postponed due to technical problems. Before that, Starship V3 was tried to launch back in the spring of 2023, but the attempt was unsuccessful. The rocket exploded a few minutes after takeoff.
In total, 11 test launches of Starship rockets of various modifications were conducted. Six of them were recognized as successful. According to The Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk plans to certify the rocket for manned flights before the end of this year.
