Is SpaceX’s latest Starship launch a ‘great stride’ in space? Key takeaways

The rocket flew halfway around the world and accomplished new manoeuvres but broke apart on re-entry.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has successfully carried out the longest test flight of its massive Starship rocket, but it disintegrated on its return to Earth. The module was destroyed while approaching its landing point in the Indian Ocean.

Here are the highlights of the Starship rocket and Thursday’s launch by the United States company:

The test flight was the third for Musk and SpaceX, and its Starship rocket travelled halfway around the Earth before it re-entered the atmosphere.

The rocket, which consists of a spacecraft also called Starship, and a rocket booster known as the Super Heavy took off from SpaceX’s private Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, at 8:25am (13:25 GMT).

The rocket successfully opened and closed its payload doors while in orbit, performed the transfer of super-cooled rocket propellant from one fuel tank to another and executed a flip manoeuvre with its Super Heavy booster to initiate its return to Earth. These accomplishments have the potential to revolutionise space transportation and support NASA’s mission to send astronauts back to the moon, analysts said.