SpaceX Celebrates Soft Landing

SpaceX, an astronautics company, has successfully guided a rocket back to Earth to complete a soft landing.

The Starship rocket launched from the coastal town of Boca Chica, Texas on Thursday afternoon, 6 June, and splashed down in the Indian Ocean 65 minutes later.

“Despite the loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the ocean!” Elon Musk, chief executive officer of the corporation, posted via his social media platform, X.

The achievement is a big one for the space-faring corporation, which intends to take people to and from Mars one day. To do so, the spacecraft will need to safely launch and, more importantly, land back on the same pad for its next journey.

Three previous attempts have been made with the rocket prototype since its inaugural launch in April 2023, with the spaceship either exploding or disintegrating each time.

According to Musk, the company will be aiming to launch at least six rockets this year alone, as there is pressure from NASA to prove that SpaceX can transport their astronauts.

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