Starship reaches orbit for the first time despite engine failure on ascent
Starship reached orbit for the first time on its 14th test flight, lifting off from Texas at 7.48am local time. An engine failed on ascent, and some feared that would end the attempt. Controllers judged it safe to press on with the burn. Cheers broke out at SpaceX. Daniel Hewitt, an engineer narrating the live stream, then said: "Starship is in orbit."
SpaceX intends the flight to lead to future missions to the moon and Mars. Orbital paths are harder to control than the suborbital ones used on earlier test flights.
Source: ‘Starship is in orbit’: cheers go up as huge SpaceX rocket circles Earth for first time (theguardian.com). Spotted via Smithsonian Smart News.
Written by the HappyGood desk from the primary source linked above and checked against it. Every story links its source. Corrections: [email protected].
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