On November 19, 2024, SpaceX launched its Starship rocket for the sixth time from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, but failed to successfully land the Super Heavy booster. This marked a setback after a successful landing in the previous test a month earlier.
The launch occurred at 4 PM local time. Following the booster separation, Super Heavy was expected to return to the launch pad using mechanical arms for capture. However, SpaceX announced shortly after liftoff that conditions were not met for this maneuver, resulting in the booster splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico.
Meanwhile, the Starship vehicle continued its flight and successfully splashed down in the Indian Ocean, providing valuable footage of the event. The mission also marked the first time SpaceX transported a cargo during a test flight, with a banana being the payload.
SpaceX aims to develop Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket, for future Mars colonization missions. Elon Musk has stated that the first crewed flights to Mars could occur within four years, contingent on successful landings. The development of Starship is closely monitored by NASA, which has selected it for lunar missions as part of the Artemis program.
Despite the failure to land the booster this time, SpaceX's long-term goal remains to achieve full reusability of the rocket system, which is expected to reduce launch costs significantly and increase launch frequency.