The company SpaceX, owned by United States (U.S.) billionaire Elon Musk, conducted the sixth test flight of the Starship spacecraft from Texas, and the launch was attended by the newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump.
NASA plans to use Starship to send humans to the Moon as part of its Artemis program.
“I’m heading to the great state of Texas to witness the launch of the largest object ever launched, not just into space but simply by taking off from the ground,” Trump wrote on his social media, wishing Musk luck with the rocket launch.
The rocket system, approximately 122 meters tall, designed to carry astronauts to the Moon and transport crews to Mars, was launched at 4 p.m. local time from SpaceX’s rocket development complex in Texas.
The rocket booster, named Super Heavy, was not recovered as it was during the fifth test flight, instead falling into the Gulf of Mexico. The Starship rocket itself orbited Earth for about an hour and a half before crashing into the Indian Ocean.
Trump previously announced that he would appoint Musk as the head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency in his administration.
