SpaceX Starship completes sixth test flight with key milestones, booster catch attempt aborted

SpaceX conducted its sixth Starship test flight on November 19, 2024, achieving significant milestones despite an aborted booster catch attempt. The nearly 400-foot Starship system launched from Starbase in Brownsville, Texas, propelling its spacecraft into space before the Super Heavy booster attempted a precision landing. SpaceX reported that “automated health checks of critical hardware” led to the catch being aborted, resulting in a pre-planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Starship spacecraft successfully reignited a Raptor engine in space, marking a pivotal achievement for the system’s eventual lunar and Mars missions. Former NASA astronaut Garret Reisman told CNN, “They’re finicky little beasts...it’s not so easy to light them up and shut them down.”

The test is part of SpaceX’s broader goal to develop a reusable rocket system, crucial for reducing space mission costs. SpaceX engineer Kate Tice highlighted the spacecraft’s resilience during reentry tests, noting, “Turns out the vehicle had more capability than our calculations predicted.”

The mission is vital to NASA’s Artemis program, which plans to use Starship as a lunar lander for its 2026 moon mission. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX, posting on X: “Exciting to see the Raptor engine restart in space — major progress towards orbital flight.”

SpaceX’s testing campaign aims to refine its ability to recover and reuse rocket parts. As per NASA’s Office of the Inspector General, future milestones include a long-duration flight and propellant transfer tests in 2025.