The unmanned prototype Mars rocket of the American space company SpaceX successfully landed in the night from Wednesday to Thursday after a test flight.
Until now, it was not possible to land the missile safely or keep it in one piece after landing, but the prototype ‘SN15’ landed safely and did not explode.
The Starship SN15 was launched from SpaceX’s space base in Boca Chica, Texas. The rocket rose to an altitude of about 10 kilometres, then turned horizontally and went into free fall. After this fall, the engines ignited, the vehicle turned back to a Vertical Position, and the missile landed safely on the ground. Shortly after landing, a fire broke out at the bottom of the rocket.
In an earlier attempt, a similar fire detonated the entire vehicle, but this time SpaceX was able to put out the fire. On the penultimate attempt, the missile exploded before the landing was complete.
SpaceX is the company of businessman Elon Musk, who is also the CEO of car manufacturer Tesla. SpaceX is currently bringing cargo and astronauts to and from the International Space Station, but the company’s goal is to enable the colonization of the planet Mars.
Starship must become the vehicle that ‘sets foot’ on the red planet. The rocket should also make commercial flights to the moon possible.
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