SpaceX’s 50m-tall Starship has successfully a trial high-altitude ascent and landing.
The perfect touchdown follows four previous tests that saw rockets destroy themselves during final landing manoeuvres.
SpaceX’s latest prototype, Serial Number 15 (SN15), has broken the companies explosive streak by touching down safely at SpaceX’s R&D campus in Texas.
The only blemish to an otherwise perfect test was a small fire around the base of the rocket that was quickly put out.
The test marks more good news for the company after it was announced that NASA would use the Starship to land astronauts on the Moon within the next few years.
The Starship spacecraft will be paired with the US companies Super Heavy rocket (the spacecraft and rocket are collectively referred to as Starship by SpaceX). The ship will have the ability to carry over 100 metric tonnes to Earth orbit
The system represents a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.
When it goes into operation Starship will be the most powerful launch vehicle ever developed.
