SpaceX launched its Starship rocket from Texas on Friday evening, marking the 13th flight test for the massive vehicle. The launch was delayed to the evening due to weather concerns. This mission represented the first major test since the company's initial public offering in June.
The primary goals of the flight were to demonstrate onboard capabilities and verify redesigns without hiccups. During the mission, Starship performed its first suborbital deployments of 20 of the most advanced, upgraded Starlink satellites. The rocket eventually splashed down in the Indian Ocean to complete the test.
As the world's most powerful rocket, Starship is designed to be fully reusable, a feat not yet achieved by any other rocket maker. This success supports SpaceX's hopes to deploy a million data centers in orbit and remains a key component of NASA's Artemis program to land astronauts on the moon.