SpaceX’s Mars test rocket makes first successful flight and upright landing

The Elon Musk-owned company, SpaceX has launched a prototype of its Mars rocketship hundreds of feet into the air and then landed it upright in a successful test flight. This lasted for 45 seconds and reached just 500 feet at the southeastern tip of Texas near Brownsville. This is the first successful flight by the company. All the previous attempts ended in explosions on the pad itself.

Plan Ahead

According to the Founder of Space X, the company is planning more short hops before a test version of Starship aims for a higher altitude. The latest test model is plain nature and it stands a full-scale 100 feet tall and resembles a steel silo with a cap on top. The company plans to launch reusable starships atop still-in-the-works rockets, carrying cargo or crew not only to low-earth orbit but also the moon and Mars.

Other achievements of the Company

The company has safely returned two NASA astronauts from the International Space Station following a two-month test flight. Their Dragon capsule landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the Pensacola, Florida Coast. It is now the only private company to fly people to and end from orbit.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2020