Space X’s Starship has splashed down for a “soft landing” in the Indian Ocean – a success after previous attempts ended in spectacular explosions.
Elon Musk’s company upgraded software and made other changes for this fourth attempt, which blasted off from Texas for a half lap around the planet.
The billionaire posted on social media: “Despite loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the ocean!”
The spacecraft blasted off from Texas
Starship is the world’s largest and most powerful rocket at nearly 400ft (121m) tall.
The first-stage ‘Super Heavy’ booster successfully detached and landed in the Gulf of Mexico three minutes after lift off.
After a flight of about an hour, Starship began its own crucial re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere and landed in the sea as planned.
There were cheers at mission control in California as the team finally achieved their goal.
Starship made a brief journey into space
The tests are a stepping stone in Space X’s ultimate goal of making Starship reusable, so it’s important to show the descent of the spacecraft and booster can be controlled.
NASA has ordered two Starships for moon-landing missions later this decade and Musk’s company is already selling tourist trips around the moon.
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