SpaceX's Third Test of Its Starship Succeeds Ahead of Crewed Lunar Mission

SpaceX's Third Test of Its , Starship Succeeds Ahead, of Crewed Lunar Mission.

'The Independent' reports that SpaceX's third test of its Starship has ended successfully, with the spacecraft falling to Earth somewhere in the Indian ocean.

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The successful test follows two failed tests which lasted only a few moments before ultimately exploding.

The third test saw the Starship successfully launch, separate from its booster, arrive in space, open its payload door and then fly halfway around the Earth.

This means that the test successfully accomplished all of the major tests SpaceX had laid out prior to launch.

Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, with a towering height of 397 feet.

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CEO Elon Musk said prior to launch that the company had made thousands of upgrades and fixes to improve the chances of a successful test.

CEO Elon Musk said prior to launch that the company had made thousands of upgrades and fixes to improve the chances of a successful test.

The spacecraft launched from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border.

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The spacecraft launched from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border.

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The test flight outperformed previous tests, reaching an altitude of 100 miles and nearing orbital speed.

'The Independent' reports that NASA is heavily invested in the success of Starship, as the spacecraft plays an integral role in the agency's plan to return astronauts to the moon.

The highly anticipated missions will mark the first crewed missions to the moon since last century's Apollo program.