New Delhi:
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared a stunning video captured by Starship of its reentry into Earth's atmosphere as it completed its first successful flight through space on Thursday – its third attempt.
The images Musk shared on
Temperatures reached above 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit as the craft made its return.
Elon Musk captioned the video: “Watch the super-hot plasma field grow as Starship re-enters the atmosphere!”
Watch the super-hot plasma field grow as Starship reenters the atmosphere! pic.twitter.com/to4UOF2Kpd
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 14, 2024
As the spacecraft approached Earth, the commentary was nearly drowned out by loud cheering at SpaceX headquarters.
But after this it all went wrong, because radio communication with the spaceship failed. The spacecraft was lost, SpaceX later announced.
This is the first footage of the reentry of its kind, as the previous footage was captured by the crew from the cabin.
It is extremely difficult to send data home via such heated plasma fields. But Starship managed to use SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites, SpaceX said.
“Reliable high-speed, low-latency internet around the world – even while traveling through a plasma field at 17,000 mph,” Starlink wrote on X, sharing the video of Starship's return.
The device managed to transmit images until just over 48 minutes after launch. It descended to an altitude of 77 km, the latest images showed.
Starship, the world's most powerful rocket, flew further and faster than ever after taking off on Thursday – its third test flight. But it was ultimately lost when it reentered Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, SpaceX said.