Author |Qiao Xinyi, First Financial

On the morning of August 27 Beijing time, the Starcraft carried out its tenth test flight in Texas.

About an hour after launch, the starship's super heavy booster completed a splash down in the Gulf of Mexico, and SpaceX confirmed that its tenth test flight was completed.

Musk delivers video and praises SpaceX team

Musk later wrote on X: "Well done SpaceX team!"

Extended reading

One hour of flying half the earth, Musk's spacecraft finally succeeded, the scene cheers and applause sounded into one.

SpaceX's next-generation heavy launch vehicle "Starship" was launched from Texas at 18:30 Central Time on the 26th (7:30 Beijing time on the 27th).Implement the tenth test flight¡£

The main objectives of the mission include the deployment of simulated satellites by the spacecraft and testing of engines in space.

"Star" launched from Texas, carrying out the tenth test flight

As planned, the rocket booster will fall into the Gulf region without returning to the launch site.

According to the live broadcast screen, in this test flight, the "starship" flew half of the earth in an hour and finally successfully splashed down into the Indian Ocean. Cheers and clapping were heard at the launch site.

The "starship" flew half of the earth in an hour and finally successfully splashed down into the Indian Ocean

Cheers and clapping at the launch site were heard

According to previous reports, the "Starcraft" was originally scheduled to conduct the tenth test flight around 7:30 p.m. on August 25 in Beijing time, and the test tasks include: the first-level propeller dropped off and controlled landing, the second-level spacecraft entered space, the spacecraft restarted the engine and deployed the simulated satellite.

On Sunday, SpaceX founder Musk posted a photo of the spacecraft on social media with the inscription: ¡°Ready to launch the Starcraft.¡±

On the evening of the 24th, SpaceX did not confirm the cancellation until the last moment before the test flight, saying that due to "ground system problems", it indicated that there were problems with the launch pad and related supporting infrastructure. SpaceX did not specify.

According to reports, the "Starship" consists of two parts. The first stage is a "Super Heavy" booster about 70 meters long, and the second stage is the "Starship" spacecraft. Both stages can be reused. Previously, SpaceX has successfully tested the "chopsticks clip rocket" recovery method, which is unprecedented.

The significance of the "Starcraft" test flight is that if successful, it is expected to become an innovative force in the space field. Its design goal is to send people and goods to Earth orbit, the moon and even Mars, the first test flight in April 2023.

In March of this year, Musk said that the "Starship" will land on Mars equipped with Tesla's humanoid robot "Optimus Prime" by the end of 2026. If it goes well, the manned mission to Mars "may be implemented as early as 2029, but 2031 is more likely".

In addition, with NASA planning to send astronauts to the moon again as early as mid-2027, "starships" are also seen as crucial.

However, it is not uncommon for test flights to encounter problems. Weather, technical and other issues may have an impact, not to mention this is a new generation of heavy-duty launch vehicles.

It can be said that the tenth test flight took place at a moment of success or failure for SpaceX. Looking back at the first three test flights this year, "Starship" ended in the disintegration of the spacecraft or the explosion of the booster.

During the seventh and eighth test flights in January and March this year, the rocket first-level propellers both managed to recycle the launch tower, but the second-class spacecraft rapidly disintegrated during the rise.

In May, the "Starcraft" launched from Texas for the ninth test flight, but the rocket's first-level propeller exploded and the rocket's second-class spacecraft was out of control.