SpaceX's Starship, the biggest rocket ever built, launches into orbit
The biggest rocket ever built launched into orbit around Earth on Monday, making history. SpaceX took this important step as part of its plan to reach the moon or even Mars. Mark Strassmann reports.
SpaceX successfully launched its massive Starship into orbit for the first time on Monday, but decided to cut short the 10-hour flight after just three hours, landing the spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. The company had planned the 10-hour journey to include six full orbits around Earth, demonstrating readiness for NASA's Artemis moon program.
However, one of the rocket's engines shut down prematurely, causing initial concern. Yet, with minimal issues and the faulty engine no longer needed, flight controllers opted to proceed as planned. Starship reached orbit, with Mission Control announcing, "Starship is orbital," to cheers from the crowd. The successful mission, SpaceX's 14th full-scale launch from Texas, delivered 26 advanced Starlink satellites, joining the existing 11,000 older models.
Despite the early end to the flight, SpaceX is committed to ensuring the spacecraft's safety and reliability before attempting to return it to the launch site.
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