SpaceX launches Starship – with Trump watching

Despite the successful lift-off, SpaceX aborted an attempt to catch the first stage booster in the ‘chopstick’ arms of its launch tower, opting instead for an ocean splashdown due to unmet technical criteria, dampening the triumph of the event | WATCH

SpaceX’s Starship megarocket blasted off on its latest test flight on Tuesday local time, with President-elect Donald Trump joining Elon Musk to witness the spectacle firsthand in the latest sign of their ever closer ties.

But the Republican leader was deprived of the chance to see the booster stage caught in the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms, an engineering marvel demonstrated by the company last month and one he personally lauded during his election victory speech.

Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting sixth flight test of Starship! pic.twitter.com/bf98Va9qmL

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024

Instead, the colossal Super Heavy first stage made a more subdued splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Company representatives cited unmet technical criteria, dampening the triumph of an event attended by a bevy of Trump-world figures, including Donald Trump Jr.

8 minutes to liftoff of Starship!
https://t.co/Ngu7VnFsh9

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2024

Earlier, sporting a red MAGA hat Mr Trump greeted Mr Musk warmly on Tuesday afternoon as the pair headed off to view the launch from the control room at the company’s Starbase in Boca Chica.

The SpaceX founder and CEO has been a constant presence at Mr Trump’s side since the Republican’s election victory, joining him at a meeting with Argentina’s President Javier Milei and even at a UFC bout.

Liftoff of Starship! pic.twitter.com/rSLQ2DDy63

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024

Mr Trump’s decision to travel to Mr Musk’s home turf is the latest sign of the burgeoning bond between the billionaire duo, which has raised questions over possible conflicts of interests given SpaceX’s lucrative contracts with NASA and the Pentagon.

Tuesday’s launch marks the quickest turnaround between test flights for the world’s most powerful rocket, a gleaming, 121-meter-tall (400-foot) stainless steel colossus central to Mr Musk’s ambition of colonising Mars and making humanity a multiplanetary species.

NASA is also counting on a specialised version of Starship to ferry astronauts to the lunar surface later this decade under its Artemis program.

SpaceX Starship lifts off from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, for its sixth flight test. Picture: AFP.

– Daylight splashdown –

The ocean splashdown is a reminder that SpaceX’s first booster catch came close to disaster. In a clip posted to X showcasing his gaming chops in “Diablo IV,” sharp-eared fans caught an employee briefing him that the Super Heavy booster was “one second away” from a system failure that could have spelled catastrophe.

Flight six will revisit many of the goals from flight five, with some updates. If all goes as planned, the returning booster will roar back at supersonic speeds, creating sonic booms as it nears the launch tower.

There, a pair of massive mechanical arms will reach out to catch it and bring it to a halt, around eight to ten minutes after liftoff.

Starship’s Raptor engines have ignited during hot-staging separation pic.twitter.com/SMaoBW7ddI

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024

Starship’s upper stage will make a partial orbit of Earth, re-enter the atmosphere and splash down in the Indian Ocean a little over an hour later, but this time in the daylight, providing clearer visuals for analysis.

Key milestones include reigniting Starship’s Raptor engines for the first time in space and trailing new heat shield materials. The flight also serves as a swan song for the current generation of Starship prototypes.

Starship’s Raptor engine burn is complete and Starship has entered a coast phase pic.twitter.com/xJHlg2eDTs

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024

With twice the thrust of the Saturn V rockets that powered Apollo missions, Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built. Mr Musk has already teased that its successor, Starship V3, will be “3X more powerful” and could take flight within a year.

The SpaceX Starship’s splashdown will test whether SpaceX’s first booster catch was pure precision or relied on a stroke of luck. Picture: AFP.

– Musk riding high –

The flight comes as Mr Musk is riding high on Mr Trump’s November 5 White House win, having campaigned extensively for the returning Republican leader, as well as donating staggering sums from his own fortune to the cause.

His loyalty has paid off. Mr Musk has been tapped to co-lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” – or DOGE, a cheeky nod to the meme-based cryptocurrency Mr Musk loves to promote.

That in turn has led to concerns Mr Musk could engage in “self-dealing” as the CEO is poised to straddle the line between government insider and corporate titan.

Critics worry he could sway regulatory decisions to benefit his six companies, including SpaceX and its marquee Starship program.

SpaceX hasn’t shied away from pushing back against perceived regulatory hurdles. Ahead of the fifth flight, the company lambasted the licensing process, blaming delays on “frivolous” issues like an unnecessary environmental review.ia/dw