SpaceX today, during the next high-altitude tests, was able to successfully land a prototype of the Starship spacecraft for the first time, which was a big step in the development of a super-heavy launch vehicle designed to launch cargo and people on missions to the Moon and Mars.

True, eight minutes after a successful and completely soft landing at the test complex in Boca Chica (Texas, USA), the prototype exploded. The cause of the explosion is currently unknown, and it is not known whether the destruction of the prototype was accidental or deliberate.

The purpose of the tests, we recall, was the launch of the prototype to an altitude of 10 kilometers. The SN10 flight today was similar to previous test flights of the previous SN8 and SN9 prototypes, which were launched in December and February, respectively. Both previous missiles fulfilled the design objectives of the developers, including aerodynamic tests, sequential engine shutdowns and orienteering coup during landing, but both exploded on impact on the ground while trying to land, unable to slow down sufficiently.

As in the case of previous tests, the main task of the SN10 flight was not to reach maximum altitude, but to test the key systems of the rocket. It took off on all three Raptor engines and then shut them off one at a time as it reached the top of the trajectory. SN10 then performed a horizontal roll-over maneuver for controlled descent using aerodynamic rudders while free falling in the atmosphere. In the final part of the tests, the rocket was returned to an upright position, engine braking turned on and softly landed.

It should be noted that SN10 was able to start only on the second attempt. At the first launch, the rocket engines were stopped by the computer a second after being turned on. SpaceX founder Elon Musk attributed this to incorrect thrust settings. Nevertheless, SpaceX specialists were able to quickly correct the situation and re-launch two hours later.

Elon Musk shared his joy at the successful landing on Twitter.

As indicated by SpaceX itself, the main purpose of prototype testing was to collect data on the control of the vehicle during re-entry into the atmosphere. This task was successfully completed, despite the enchanting explosion of a rocket a few minutes after a soft landing.

Starship — один из двух ключевых проектов, которым в настоящее время занимается SpaceX (второй — это спутниковая программа Starlink). Как ранее говорил Илон Маск, программа разработки этого космического корабля оценивается в сумму порядка $5 млрд. Он по-прежнему уверен, что Starship будет «достаточно безопасен для перевозки людей к 2023 году». И это — амбициозная цель, учитывая, что компания приступила к разработке и серьёзным испытаниям ракеты лишь в начале 2019 года.

But it looks like Musk’s schedule is being taken quite seriously by many. For example, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa paid for a Starship flight around the moon in 2023. Maezawa announced Tuesday that he is inviting eight people to join his civilian mission, which will be a six-day journey to and from the moon.