SpaceX's Third Test of Its , Starship Succeeds Ahead, of Crewed Lunar Mission.<br />'The Independent' reports that SpaceX's third test of its <br />Starship has ended successfully, with the spacecraft <br />falling to Earth somewhere in the Indian ocean. .<br />The successful test follows two <br />failed tests which lasted only a few <br />moments before ultimately exploding.<br />The third test saw the Starship successfully launch, <br />separate from its booster, arrive in space, open its <br />payload door and then fly halfway around the Earth.<br />This means that the test successfully <br />accomplished all of the major tests <br />SpaceX had laid out prior to launch.<br />Starship is the largest and most <br />powerful rocket ever built, with <br />a towering height of 397 feet. .<br />CEO Elon Musk said prior to launch that the <br />company had made thousands of upgrades and <br />fixes to improve the chances of a successful test.<br />CEO Elon Musk said prior to launch that the <br />company had made thousands of upgrades and <br />fixes to improve the chances of a successful test.<br />The spacecraft launched from <br />the southern tip of Texas <br />near the Mexican border. .<br />The spacecraft launched from <br />the southern tip of Texas <br />near the Mexican border. .<br />The test flight outperformed previous <br />tests, reaching an altitude of 100 <br />miles and nearing orbital speed.<br />'The Independent' reports that NASA is heavily invested in <br />the success of Starship, as the spacecraft plays an integral <br />role in the agency's plan to return astronauts to the moon.<br />The highly anticipated missions will <br />mark the first crewed missions to the <br />moon since last century's Apollo program.
