SpaceX launches Starship on first orbital flight
Axios · north america
SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket came back to Earth earlier than planned after its first orbital flight Monday, with an explosion visible on the company's livestream just after touchdown in the Pacific Ocean.Why it matters: The massive, fully-reusable Starship is key to SpaceX's commercial spaceflight ambitions, while NASA is counting on a modified version for use as a lunar lander in its Artemis program.Driving the news: Starship launched from South Texas just before 9 a.m. ET on a planned test flight of about 10 hours.It was set to orbit Earth about six times before splashing down in
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