Featured Image Credit: Elon Musk
Topics: Elon Musk, Technology, Space, SpaceX, News
Gerrard Kaonga
Elon Musk has shared a unique vantage point as one of his starships crashes back down to Earth.
Musk’s company SpaceX was able to rejoice after its Starship successfully went to space and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere for the first time.
As Musk isn’t one to shy away from publicity or a chance to boast about the successes of his space company, he shared incredible footage of the rocket's arrival to Earth on X.
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It showed a view from outside the spacecraft as it came back through the Earth’s atmosphere.
While many will be aware that things often burn up as they come back to Earth, it's a little bit different to see it in a HD camera. Take a look:
The video shows a hot plasma field around the rocket grow in an impressive display as the spacecraft descends.
The unmanned spaceship blasted off successfully from the company's base in Boca Chica, Texas, at 8:25 a.m. local time.
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After the launch, Musk took to X to give an update, writing: “Starship reached orbital velocity! Congratulations @SpaceX team!!"
Musk has also touted Starship - at approximately 5,000 tons - as "the largest flying object ever made."
NASA administrator Bill Nelson also praised the team behind the launch, writing: “Congrats to @SpaceX on a successful test flight! Starship has soared into the heavens. Together, we are making great strides through Artemis to return humanity to the Moon—then look onward to Mars."
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The SpaceX team has praised this as an important step forward as they have previously stated this rocket could prove powerful enough to take humanity to Mars.
"As the most powerful launch system ever developed, Starship will be able to carry up to 100 people on long-duration, interplanetary flights," the company says.
"Starship will also enable satellite delivery, the development of a Moon base, and point-to-point transport here on Earth."
NASA’s moon base plans are directly linked to their overall goal of putting a person on Mars.
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According to the space agency, returning to the moon will prove invaluable in the quest to reach the red planet.
Speaking about the Artemis project, the space agency has said: “With NASA’s Artemis campaign, we are exploring the Moon for scientific discovery, technology advancement, and to learn how to live and work on another world as we prepare for human missions to Mars.
With a greater understanding of how humans can live off planet Earth will allow us to understand how best to colonize other celestial bodies in our solar system.