SpaceX Starship Achieves Historic Ocean Landing

October 18, 2024 - SpaceX has reached a new milestone in space exploration with the successful ocean landing of its Starship spacecraft during its fifth test flight. This achievement marks a significant step towards realizing the goal of developing fully reusable space vehicles, crucial for the future of cost-effective space travel.

SpaceX Starship Achieves Historic Ocean Landing

The Starship spacecraft, standing at an impressive 165 feet (50 meters) tall, executed a complex flip maneuver and landing burn, ensuring a precise and soft landing in the Indian Ocean. Despite facing extreme reentry temperatures that caused some damage to its heat-protection tiles, the spacecraft managed to land largely intact.

SpaceX Starship fifth flight test / source: SpaceX

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, took to social media to celebrate the feat, stating, "Despite loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the ocean!" This success paves the way for future attempts to catch the Starship spacecraft using the "chopstick" arms of the Mechazilla launch tower, a technique recently employed to catch the Super Heavy booster.

Ship landed precisely on target!

Second of the two objectives achieved. https://t.co/aMnllnkyzP

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 13, 2024

The Starship system is not only a technological marvel but also a key element of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustainable presence. With its capability for reusability and robust design, Starship is poised to play a pivotal role in future space missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. 

SpaceX Starship Achieves Historic Ocean Landing