SpaceX launched its sixth Starship test flight Tuesday in the US state of Texas, with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump watching side-by-side at the launch site as an attempt to catch the Super Heavy booster upon its return to Earth with a giant pair of metal arms failed.
"And unfortunately, we did not have a pass on those commit criteria. So they're a no-go for tower catch," said the SpaceX commentators hosting the live launch online. "We're constantly evaluating the criteria for catch. There's a lot of things that need to go well in order to line that up. Unfortunately, today, we will forgo booster catch."
Despite the failure to achieve the main objective of catching the 20-story-tall rocket booster in space, the mission conducted a successful offshore water landing of the booster and reignition of the Starship engines after orbiting the Earth.
"It was not guaranteed that we would be able to make a tower catch today...but the safety of the teams and the public and the pad itself are paramount, so we are accepting no compromises in any of those areas," said the SpaceX team.
"We have an additional objective today to do an in-space relight of a raptor engine, which...will help set us up for being able to do deorbit burns, which is important for orbital plans."
Trump, who once ridiculed Musk's SpaceX for launching "rocketships to nowhere" has come full circle and embraced the company, showing that support by making the trip to the launch site to watch alongside Musk and making an online post supporting SpaceX.
"I'm heading to the Great State of Texas to watch the launch of the largest object ever to be elevated, no only to Space, but simply lifting off the ground," Trump's post said. "Good luck to @ElonMusk and the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project!"
Musk reportedly spent nearly $120 million to help with Trump's 2024 presidential reelection bid and was recently appointed to head up the Trump administration's new Department of Government Efficiency.
The purpose of the SpaceX Starship test flights is to create a rapidly reusable launch system, including reusing heat shield tiles on the spacecraft to withstand the extreme temperatures encountered during reentry to the Earth's atmosphere.
The Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built. SpaceX plans to eventually use the Starship to carry convoys of people to the Moon and Mars.
NASA also selected the Starship as the space vehicle to land American astronauts on the lunar surface, which is expected to take place in 2026.
