The upper deck of the Starship lands in the sea

In the video SpaceX released on October 18 on X, it shows the upper stage of the Starship spacecraft turning around, performing the landing at sea on October 13.

Previously, SpaceX made history when it successfully captured Starship’s Super Heavy booster stage with the launch tower’s “chopsticks” about 7 minutes after takeoff.

Then the 50 m high upper stage of the Starship, also known as the Ship, also successfully returned to Earth. It landed at a precise point in the Indian Ocean, half a world away from the launch site in South Texas.

SpaceX’s most powerful rocket successfully recovered its booster stage

“Starship’s landing spin and burn during its fifth test flight. Vehicle improvements ensure the wings are protected from high temperatures, resulting in a controlled landing and landing precisely at the target area in the Indian Ocean,” SpaceX wrote in a post on X.

In a reply to the post on X, Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX wrote on October 18: “Awesome, what a great video!”.

There won’t be many more ocean landings in the Ship’s future. SpaceX intends to bring both the upper stage and the Super Heavy back to land on the launch tower in the future – something that seems entirely achievable with the success of the fifth test flight, according to Musk.

“Starship achieved a precise and gentle landing in the ocean, paving the way for return to the launch site and was captured by the tower’s arms, which resemble the booster stage. Full reusability and quickly help improve the cost of reaching orbit and beyond. This is the fundamental technological breakthrough needed to make multiplanetary life a reality and for us to become a space civilization. really,” Musk wrote in another post on X on October 18.

Previously, Musk shared his plan that in early 2025, he would catch the Starship upper stage with chopsticks like the Super Heavy booster.

SpaceX is developing Starship, 122 m high. The launch system includes the Super Heavy launch vehicle and the Starship spacecraft on top. The booster rocket is located on the first stage and the spacecraft carrying people and cargo is on the second stage. The rocket’s mission is to bring the Starship to a point in orbit, then the Starship will continue flying using its engines while the rocket returns to Earth. Both parts are reusable.

Starship capture at the launch tower may not apply to all rocket missions. For example, the upper stage will take humans to the surface of the Moon and Mars. If all goes according to plan, these trips will probably require vertical landings using leg-assisted thrusters sole.

NASA chose the Starship to bring astronauts to the Moon in the Artemis program. When the Starship makes its journey to the Moon, it will have to stay in low-Earth orbit while SpaceX launches separate support vehicles to refuel the ship. The mission to carry astronauts to the Moon will take place as early as 2026.