LOS ANGELES, May 22 (Xinhua) -- SpaceX launched the 12th flight test of its giant Starship rocket on Friday, marking the debut flight of the next-generation Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster.
Starship lifted off from the company's Starbase facility in the U.S. state of Texas at 5:30 p.m. Central Time (2230 GMT).
Shortly after liftoff, the Starship upper stage successfully separated from the Super Heavy booster through hot-staging. The booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX said the booster did not attempt a return to the launch site for catch because this was the first flight test of a significantly redesigned vehicle.
The Starship upper stage reached its cruise phase despite the loss of one of its six engines. Mission controllers did not attempt an in-flight engine relight before re-entry.
SpaceX later confirmed that Starship successfully deployed modified Starlink satellites and simulators.
About one hour after liftoff, Starship executed a banking maneuver simulating the final approach profile it would use when returning to Starbase for a catch attempt on future missions.
Later, Starship splashed down in the Indian Ocean as planned.
The mission marks the debut flight of the next-generation Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster, powered by upgraded Raptor engines and launched from a newly designed pad at Starbase.
According to SpaceX, the primary objective of the flight test is to evaluate the performance of the upgraded vehicle, propulsion and ground systems in a real flight environment for the first time.
The launch attempt originally scheduled for Thursday was scrubbed due to a technical issue. SpaceX founder Elon Musk said a hydraulic pin holding the launch tower arm in place failed to retract as planned.
Starship is slated to serve as the lunar landing system for NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon and lay the groundwork for future human missions to Mars. ■