Skip to Content
Space

SpaceX’s Starship has finally stuck the landing on its third high-altitude flight

Unlike in the first two missions, the spacecraft was able to safely land—before it then blew up.

starship sn10 landing
The Starship SN10 prototype after a safe landing.SpaceX

On March 3, SpaceX’s Starship pulled off a successful high-altitude flight—its third in a row. Unlike in the first two missions, the spacecraft stuck the landing. Then, as in the last two, the spacecraft blew up.

What happened: At around 5:14 p.m. US Central Time, the 10th Starship prototype (SN10) was launched from SpaceX’s test facility in Boca Chica, Texas, flying about 10 kilometers into the air before falling back down and descending safely to Earth. 

About 10 minutes later, the spacecraft blew up, from what appears to have been a methane leak. Still, the actual objectives of the mission were met.

What’s the big deal? This is the first time Starship has landed safely after a high-altitude flight. SN8 was flown on December 9 and went up 12.5 km into the air before it crashed in an explosive wreck when it hit the ground too fast. SN9, flown February 2 to 10 km in altitude, experienced virtually the same fate during its attempted landing. Both missions attempted to use only two of the spacecraft’s three engines to land. SN10, on the other hand, utilized all three, nailing the vertical landing, albeit ending up a little lopsided. 

What’s the Starship? It’s the vehicle that SpaceX is developing to one day send astronauts to the moon, Mars, and other destinations beyond Earth’s orbit. It’s 50 meters tall, weighs over 1,270 metric tons when loaded with fuel, and is supposed to be able to take more than 100 tons of cargo and passengers into deep space. In its final form, Starship sits on top of the Super Heavy rocket (currently in development) and doubles as a second-stage booster. Both the Super Heavy and Starship itself will use the company’s methane-fueled Raptor engines.

What’s next: That’s not entirely clear. SpaceX has now proved that Starship can fly high into the air and land safely. SN11 might undergo the same flight, or the company might subject it to some other testing. But SpaceX is definitely closer to its goal to fly Starship into space sometime this year. CEO Elon Musk has previously expressed hopes of launching people to Mars by 2026 or even 2024

Deep Dive

Space

The Biggest Questions: Are we alone in the universe?

Scientists are training machine-learning models and designing instruments to hunt for life on other worlds.

Why the first-ever space junk fine is such a big deal

A fine handed to the US TV firm Dish by the FCC could help kick-start the market for solutions to space debris.

This startup wants to find out if humans can have babies in space

SpaceBorn United wants to conduct an IVF experiment in Earth’s orbit to pave the way for long-term space missions.

The Biggest Questions: Why is the universe so complex and beautiful?

For some reason the universe is full of stars, galaxies, and life. But it didn’t have to be this way.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.