SpaceX on Tuesday successfully launched its sixth test flight of its Starship mega rocket, according to the space agency.
Starship lifted off from the Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas, the space agency said. The rocket went up at 5 p.m. (EST), with coverage beginning 30 minutes prior.
According to a news release, Tuesday’s flight “aims to expand the envelope on ship and booster capabilities and get closer to bringing reuse of the entire system online.”
SpaceX said that Starship’s upper stage will fly the same suborbital trajectory as the previous flight test, with splashdown targeted in the Indian Ocean.
However, it was called out shortly following the launch that there would be a “no-go” on the booster catch, resulting in a water landing instead.
[STORY CONTINUES BELOW]
On Oct. 13, SpaceX was able to catch the returning booster back at the launch pad with mechanical arms after its fifth test flight.
“Starship’s fifth flight test was a seminal moment in iterating towards a fully and rapidly reusable launch system,” SpaceX said in a statement.
In addition, Starship’s upper stage demonstrated several improvements, resulting in a controlled entry and splashdown at the targeted area in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX said it hopes to use a fully reusable Starship to carry both crew and cargo to the moon and eventually Mars.