SpaceX Starship SN10 Reaches the Pad and Lands Intact
On March 3, SpaceX launched Starship SN10—the tenth prototype of the massive Mars-bound rocket—from a Texas launch site. During the test flight, the vehicle reached a peak altitude of 6.2 miles before executing a horizontal “belly flop” maneuver designed to increase air resistance and slow its descent. The rocket then reignited its engines, returned to an upright position, and landed on the landing pad. According to SpaceX engineer John Insprucker, who spoke just before the company’s webcast ended, the test achieved a successful soft touchdown.
However, the landing was crooked, as the rocket’s landing legs appeared to have failed, leaving it tilted on the pad. Minutes after landing intact, Starship SN10 exploded into the air and landed in a fiery blaze. SpaceX has not yet stated what caused the unscheduled post-landing launch, though the New York Times reported that a leaky fuel tank may have been responsible. Despite the destruction of the vehicle, CEO Elon Musk reacted positively on social media, tweeting, Starship 10 landed in one piece!
and later adding, RIP SN10, honorable discharge.
Prior to SN10, SpaceX’s two previous attempts at a high-altitude Starship flight ended with the rockets coming in too hot and exploding upon impact.
Progress Toward the Moon and Interplanetary Travel
By proving that it is possible for the rocket to land intact, SpaceX moved one step closer to its ultimate goal of transporting people in the massive spacecraft. The controlled vertical landing capability is intended to enable a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo on long-duration interplanetary flights, helping humanity return to the Moon and travel to Mars and beyond.
SpaceX has already booked at least one crewed flight for the rocket. In 2023, the spacecraft is expected to take Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and 11 other people on a six-day trip around the moon and back. The day before the SN10 test launch, Maezawa released a video announcing the “Dear Moon” mission, stating he is offering eight spots on the fully paid private spaceflight to members of the public.
Application Process and Mission Criteria
Fashion tycoon Yusaku Maezawa is accepting applications from anyone interested in a free ticket to the moon. The deadline to pre-register for the flight is March 14, with the screening process scheduled to begin a week later. To qualify for the mission, applicants must meet two key criteria outlined by Maezawa in his announcement video:
- Applicants must push the envelope of their chosen activity by going to space, helping other people and greater society in some way.
- Applicants must be willing and able to support other crew members who share similar aspirations.
Because the plan is to go around the moon rather than just to it, Elon Musk noted in the video that the Dear Moon mission will take people farther from Earth than any other spaceflight. Before that record-setting Starship journey can take place, however, SpaceX must figure out how to keep the rockets from exploding before all crew members can safely disembark.
