6th Starship Trial Title, SpaceX Diverts Booster Landing In The Last Minute

The sixth Starship trial (photo: Doc. SpaceX)

SpaceX space company launched the Starship spacecraft on Wednesday, November 20. This giant rocket took off from Starbase in Boca Chica at around 05.00 WIB.

Since the launch window opened, launch preparations have been running smoothly, even the rockets have been successfully flown without problems after the countdown ended. However, SpaceX faces obstacles in achieving the Super Heavy booster landing target.

The thirteenth booster is separated from the Starship top stage about 2 minutes and 45 seconds after takeoff. One minute after the separation stage was carried out, Super Heavy was directed back to Earth, but this launcher did not land on the launch pad.

According to those who control the webcast, as quoted from Spacenews, Super Heavy had to be directed off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico. Until now, it is not explained why SpaceX changed the booster landing site.

This decision is not in line with the company's target and is a setback from the fifth trial. When compared to the previous launch, SpaceX managed to capture the booster using a giant launch tower called Mechazilla.

At least, this booster managed to put the upper stage of the Starship into a sub-orbital trajectory. SpaceX also briefly restarted one of the Raptor engines, one of the testing stages SpaceX needed to observe the de-orbit combustion process.

"Starship managed to do a successful climb, placing it on the expected track. The ship managed to restart a Raptor engine while in space, showing its required capabilities," SpaceX said through its official website.

Although it did not go according to the expected target, SpaceX claimed that the sixth Starship trial was successfully carried out. The results of this test will assist the company in creating a more reliable rocket system than before.