SpaceX’s Starship makes it to space on 3rd test flight

SpaceX launched its massive Starship rocket for the third time on Thursday from its private launch site in South Texas. The launch took place at 9:25 a.m. Eastern time. The spacecraft separated from its booster as planned and was headed toward a splashdown in the Indian Ocean about an hour after liftoff.

Starship is the world’s most powerful rocket, composed of two parts: the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft. It is designed to be fully reusable, landing back at its launch site. SpaceX launches the vehicle from its private facility in South Texas, near South Padre Island.

NASA is investing about $4 billion into the system and intends to use it for the first human landings on the moon since the Apollo era as part of its Artemis program. To reach the moon, however, SpaceX will have to launch a series of Starships to refuel the vehicle in Earth’s orbit before it heads to the moon.