Elon Musk and SpaceX have done it, and it was not an easy feat for the Mars-bound spacecraft, as Starship SN15 has recently stuck its landing using two Raptor engines and safely completing its test run. It is unknown whether the Starship SN15 will conduct further tests to look into its other features, but the sure thing is that the "Full-Stack" test flight is coming soon.

SpaceX SN10 Starship
(Photo : SpaceX via YouTube Screenshot)

The company may have had three consecutive explosions on its previous test flights, with the SN9, SN10, and SN11 all having met combustion upon its return to the surface. However, one of the Starships mentioned above, the SN10, has seen a successful landing which gave SpaceX the chance to gain knowledge before it met its doom.

The company has been through ups and downs, and from the SN11's last flight in March, no other Starships were released with the likes of SN12, SN13, or SN14 and has immediately jumped to SN15. Amidst this success was also the return of the Falcon 9 rocket booster which helped bring Starlink satellites to orbit, soon servicing more than 500,000 applicants.

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SpaceX Starship SN15 Landing Success

History was made in Boca Chica, and this is the first Starship that SpaceX has landed without any occurring problems which happened before, during, or after it has gone into its landing maneuver. This achievement by SpaceX means that the private space company is one step closer to its goals of setting foot on Mars, its destination before 2030.

SpaceX Makes Way For Its SN8 Prototype by Purposely Destroying Starship Tank
(Photo : Screenshot from Twitter post of @Neonpork85)
SpaceX Makes Way For Its SN8 Prototype by Purposely Destroying Starship Tank

Based on the recently concluded YouTube live stream of SpaceX, almost everything that the engineers and flight testers of the Starship were textbook. From its launch from the facility to the spacecraft reaching its intended high altitude, using its AFT Flaps to transition, and landing the SN15 smoothly, SpaceX has attained its most awaited achievement yet.

The SN15 landed using two Raptor engines that fired up as it underwent its landing maneuver, this differs from previous Starships that either used one or three of the engines, which all miscalculated its descent. Moreover, the same data or landing procedure would be used by engineers to ensure a safe return to the surface for following Starships.

Elon Musk Says SN15 Landing is 'Nominal,' Full Stack Soon?

In a Twitter statement and update of SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk (@elonmusk), he said that "Starship landing nominal," meaning that it has achieved its desired results and satisfaction is pouring into him. Moreover, the win for the company has fans screaming for more, and by more, it suggests the next step of going to Mars.

 

Probably, the next step for SpaceX, Musk, and the SN15 would be another test flight, but this time, it would be the "Full-Stack" flight which would include the Super Heavy Rocket booster underneath the Starship. This combination of "full-stack" would be the setup it would use as it heads towards the Red Planet, on its actual mission.

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Written by Isaiah Richard

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