SpaceX launches sixth test flight of Starship, scraps booster catch

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched its sixth test flight of its massive Starship under clear skies late Tuesday from South Texas on a mission to evaluate critical upgrades following a successful fifth flight, as the goal of another Super Heavy booster "catch and reuse" was scrapped due to unfavorable conditions.

The two-stage Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, launched at 5 p.m. EST from manufacturing and test facility Starbase on the Gulf Coast near Brownsville, where SpaceX founder Elon Musk, President-elect Donald Trump and a crowd of spectators cheered the massive rocket liftoff.

"Five, four, three, two one!" the crowd cheered as Starship launched above a ball of fire. "Liftoff of Starship!"

Starship, which was carrying its first payload -- a banana -- to test for gravitational pull, consists of the Super Heavy first stage and second stage. The returning first stage was scheduled to take part in another "return and catch" using the launch tower's "chopstick" arms at its spaceport in Texas. Shortly after Tuesday's liftoff, the goal to repeat "catch and reuse" was called off as critical requirements for the maneuver could not be met.

Instead, Starship's Super Heavy booster was guided -- approximately six minutes after liftoff -- to a controlled splash-down in the Gulf of Mexico.

During its more than one-hour flight Tuesday, SpaceX capitalized on the success of last month's fifth test flight following testing, upgrades and adjustments to help move the rocket toward reuse.

Thirty minutes into its sixth flight test, SpaceX said "all systems continue to look nominal."

As Starship continued on its trajectory, Raptor engine burn was ignited right before the vehicle "entered a coast phase."

"Starship has successfully ignited one of its Raptor engines while in space for the first time," SpaceX announced during Tuesday's flight.

While the Super Heavy booster was unable to duplicate the success of its fifth test flight, the second stage repeated its maneuver with a controlled splash-down landing into the Indian Ocean after testing a number of upgrades.

"The next Starship flight test aims to expand the envelope on ship and booster capabilities and get closer to bringing reuse of the entire system online," SpaceX announced Monday.

During Tuesday's flight, SpaceX was watching how the rocket reacted while reigniting one of its Raptor engines in space and testing heat-shield tiles while maneuvering the ship for re-entry and descent over the Indian Ocean.

SpaceX removed 2,100 heat-shield tiles to stress the vehicle beyond "what we think it is capable," to test how the vehicle performs under extreme heat with less weight.

"We are testing beyond the perceived limits of the vehicle. Really pushing the flight hardware to help inform future designs," according to SpaceX, which will also examine key structural areas to prepare Starship for crewed missions.

"We are flying pretty aggressively," SpaceX said as Starship crossed back into the Earth's atmosphere less than an hour after launch.

Once SpaceX successfully completes all test flights, NASA hopes to use the massive vehicle to transport astronauts for its Artemis moon missions. Musk also hopes to send the first Starships to Mars, when Earth and Mars line up in late 2026.

Approximately 56 minutes after the launch, SpaceX announced, "Sunrise over the Indian Ocean," as Starship moved closer to Earth. The company said it shifted the vehicle's launch-time to catch more daylight in the Indian Ocean.

"Live views of Earth from Starship," SpaceX wrote 57 minutes into the flight in a post on X.

One hour and five minutes after launch, Starship splashed down into the Indian Ocean. While SpaceX stressed the limits of Starship, which appeared have burns to a flap and other areas, the company said it has no expectations of recovering the vehicle.

"Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting sixth flight test of Starship!" SpaceX announced in a post at 6:07 p.m. EST.