SpaceX has carried out a mostly successful launch of its Starship rocket, in the model’s 13th test mission, in which the vessel launched satellites and spent just over one hour in a sub-orbital trajectory before splashing down in the Indian Ocean.
The rocket’s Super Heavy first-stage booster also splashed down, but at a faster velocity than planned as not all of its rockets fired during the manoeuvre.
The 24 July launch was the second for Version 3, or V3 of Starship, following its Flight 12 mission in May, the booster rocket experienced issues after stage separation and crashed instead of splashing down.
Image credit: SpaceX
Sub-orbital flight
