SpaceX Launches Starship Prototype on 12th Test Flight

The American company SpaceX launched a rocket carrying the Starship prototype spacecraft on its 12th test flight on Friday. The launch was broadcast live on the company’s X social media page.

The rocket lifted off from the Starbase launch site in Texas at 6:30 p.m. local time (1:30 a.m. Moscow time, or 10:30 p.m. GMT). Starship S39 is the first of SpaceX’s third-generation V3 rockets. It is the largest rocket ever built, standing 124 meters tall and producing around 8,000 tons of thrust.

The flight is expected to last about an hour. During this time, the company plans to deploy 20 Starlink communications satellite simulators from the spacecraft’s compartment, and then use two additional satellites to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit information about its condition to specialists on Earth. The company also plans to restart one of the Raptor engines in space.

Upon completion of the flight, the spacecraft is scheduled to splash down in the Indian Ocean.

This is Starship’s first test launch this year. The previous launch took place in mid-October last year.

According to the developer’s plans, the Starship space system will be versatile and capable of being used in various versions for manned flights to low-Earth orbit, satellite launches, and missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as to more distant celestial bodies. The reusable Super Heavy booster and Starship are designed to land vertically.