Highlights from the SpaceX spacecraft launch and landing

In the near future, NASA will pay SpaceX $4 billion to use Starship to transport astronauts to the lunar surface during two upcoming Artemis missions.

Mr. Musk’s company, in addition to having built and flown the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, has also demonstrated the basic technology needed to make the vehicle fully reusable and able to fly repeatedly at speed, more like a jet than a rocket.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX on Sunday’s flight in a post on the social media platform X.

“As we prepare to return to the Moon under Artemis, continued testing will prepare us for the bold missions that lie ahead — including to the Moon’s south pole region and on to Mars,” he said.

At 8:25 a.m. ET, the rocket, which is about 400 feet long, lifted off from the SpaceX launch site near Brownsville, Texas. The upper-stage Starship vehicle, stacked on top of the first stage, known as the Super Heavy booster, will be capable of carrying more than 100 metric tons to orbit.

After the booster successfully propelled the spacecraft upward through the densest part of the atmosphere, it fell away as the spacecraft continued heading toward space.

The rocket then ignited a few of its 33 engines to propel itself back to the launch site. As it fell from the sky at supersonic speed, it unleashed sonic booms that startled onlookers but disturbed some residents.

“My house shook on takeoff and return, all the way in Harlingen, 40 miles away,” said Justin LeClair, a wildlife biologist with the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, which monitors SpaceX launches. “It really felt like a small earthquake, if I didn’t know a missile was being launched.”

Close to the ground, the engines fired again to slow the booster, which looked like a giant cigarette falling as the engines glowed below.

As the booster descended near the launch tower, it swayed back and forth, and flames rose along one side, but that did not seem to derail it. He settled on the arms that gently closed around the booster and held it.

When the engines were turned off, the booster was still suspended in the air.

“I don’t know what to say!” Gwen Shotwell, SpaceX’s Chief Operating Officer, said: Posted on X.

A small fire continued to burn at the base of the booster, but the flames quickly went out.

The booster’s return to the launch site was similar to how the first stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket reenters the atmosphere before landing on a floating platform, or landing pad. SpaceX now routinely does this, but the boosters still have to be returned to the launch site.

Mr. Musk envisions spaceships being able to fly more often, so SpaceX built a tower with mechanical arms he called chopsticks. SpaceX also plans to use those arms to catch spaceships as they return from orbit.

As the booster was picked up by the launch tower in Texas, Starship in the upper stage continued in an arc through space toward the Indian Ocean. For this flight, SpaceX improved the thermal protection on the spacecraft so it can better withstand the scorching heat of reentry.

At least one of the flaps appeared to have sustained some damage during reentry, but the spacecraft escaped intact as it made a soft landing on the water. Then it exploded, which was not unexpected. SpaceX was not planning to recover the spacecraft.

A camera that SpaceX installed on a buoy in the ocean captured the Starship’s final moments, and the footage suggests it landed roughly where it was intended.

While SpaceX commentators remained focused on the mission on Sunday, the test flight occurred while Mr. Musk invested his time and money in supporting the campaign of former President Donald J. Trump. He appeared alongside Mr. Trump at a rally this month in Butler, Pennsylvania, wearing an “Occupy Mars” T-shirt and asserted that Mr. Trump was the only candidate who would get humanity to Mars.

To get to Mars — or even land on the moon — SpaceX has more technical challenges to master. They include accelerating the pace of launches and demonstrating the ability to refill the spacecraft’s propellant tanks while in orbit.

Mr. Musk promises that the first Mars spacecraft will depart in late 2026, the next time Earth and Mars align, and that if these initial landings go well, crewed flights will follow.

The sonic booms, which the FAA predicted when it granted SpaceX permission for the launch, could add another contentious issue between the agency, SpaceX and environmental activists who say not enough is being done to protect people, property and wildlife from launches.

These complaints could grow as SpaceX seeks permission Increase the number of spacecraft launches At its site in Texas from five orbital launches per year to 25.

But SpaceX says its progress is being held back by regulators, with this fifth Starship test flight delayed for months due to bureaucratic slowdowns. The FAA says it is working to protect public safety. At one point, the agency said it wouldn’t do that Approval for Sunday flight Until late November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s signature on environmental issues at the Texas launch site was one factor in the delay.

There has been widespread evidence of environmental consequences for the region, as detailed in a New York Times investigation published in July.

After weeks of lobbying by Mr. Musk, approval came on Saturday from the Federal Aviation Administration for the flight on Sunday. But some environmental caveats are attached.

SpaceX has agreed to conduct studies on pea-sized gravel sent by the rocket to the nearby state park, the FAA said.To determine the gravel column distance And ways to protect nests during release events.

SpaceX will also use drones equipped with infrared cameras — which can detect animal nesting sites — during launches, and will deploy environmental engineers before and after launches to look for any damage to these birds and their nests.

The company may also be required, if approved by the Fish and Wildlife Service, to install temporary shelters to protect nests during release operations.

In public filings, The Federal Aviation Administration said Air pressure, noise and sound booms will be more severe during Sunday’s test. During previous flights, the rocket landed over the Gulf of Mexico, far from homes.

Atmospheric pressure will be, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a report published on Saturday Almost strong enough It will likely cause minor damage to old plaster in homes not far from the release site.

Planned post-trip inspections will show whether the event has caused any damage and, if so, how widespread it has been. spacex, The FAA saidhas insurance to cover the cost of any structural repairs required.

Valerie Bates, director of the Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site, located about six miles from the launch site, said Sunday’s flight was significantly more powerful, at least for her, than previous launches once landing was included.

She said the sound during takeoff is always long and rumbling, but the vibrations are more intense as the booster returns, even though there is no apparent damage to the beacon. Some neighbors reported items falling from the walls, she said.

“This was obviously different,” she said, adding that she was at the Lighthouse for the event. “There were two or three really strong spikes on the landing that were more impactful. It was stronger, it was louder.”

Not all residents of the area reported more severe unrest.

Keith Reynolds, who lives four miles from the launch site, said the vibrations and noise were no different to him than during previous launches, and he saw no damage to his home.

“It was an incredible achievement,” he said. “I’m ready for the next one and 100 more.”