Watch SpaceX’s Starship booster take off for the first time

SpaceX apparently had some well-placed cameras in the Gulf of Mexico to capture an unprecedented aspect of last week’s spacecraft testing.

Billionaire Elon Musk’s company recently released a video of its Super Heavy rocket descending into the air during the fourth unmanned test flight of the missile system on Thursday, June 6.

Over the course of 25 seconds, the video shows the massive booster ignite before quietly splashing into the water. The video recorded sounds of rushing and gurgling water, which was disrupted by the violent explosion of the booster engines.

Although it’s not entirely clear if all the flames on that candle are where they’re supposed to be, the company described this as the first successful water fall for its Starship booster, one of its main targets for testing. Watch the video below in the post on X, the social platform also owned by Musk.

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Recovering the heavy rocket, which stands about 233 feet tall, is part of SpaceX’s goal of quickly building reusable spacecraft, like the Falcon 9 rocket, which regularly carries loads of satellites for private customers into low Earth orbit. The company has since directed its rocket boosters at drone ships in the ocean more than 300 times.

Aviation industry experts say landing the spacecraft’s expensive boosters would lower the price of flight. In the commercial sector, SpaceX has been a pioneer in booster reuse. Before the space launch market was disrupted, rocket components were typically disposed of as one piece.

“When we start recovering the Starship boosters, we want them to return to the launch site for a quicker turnaround,” SpaceX host Jessie Anderson said during Thursday’s live stream.

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The spacecraft launch tower will have a dual purpose, as it will also serve as a booster drop Anderson said. After the spacecraft is launched, arms — or “chopsticks” — on the tower will help guide the booster into position for a precise landing.

As for the ship itself, it flew longer than ever before and survived the heat peak caused by its reentry into Earth’s atmosphere before landing in the Indian Ocean. A camera mounted on the vehicle showed flames, a torrent of debris falling from the vehicle, and the camera lens cracking during landing.

Although it is unclear how much of the ship was intact when it hit the water, The company said The vehicle successfully flipped over and began engine burn as planned before landing, resulting in a soft, controlled landing.