SpaceX Starship completes first successful test flight as world's largest rocket makes comeback

The launch of the Starship, which took place in Texas on Tuesday, formed part of a 60-minute test flight showcasing the latest generation of spacecraft.

It follows a number of delayed and failed launches by SpaceX, setbacks that left billionaire owner Elon Musk red faced after spending billions on Starship's development.

SpaceX announced on X: "Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting tenth flight test of Starship!"

"Great work by the SpaceX team!!" wrote SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Each launch is estimated to have cost the billionaire in the region of $100m.

At 403ft (123 meters) tall, Starship is the largest rocket ever built, by any nation or private company. It is made up of a booster called Super Heavy and the spacecraft Starship.

The successful launch comes after three failures in a row this year, including an explosion on the launchpad at the start of the summer.

Read More: SpaceX rocket destroyed in huge explosion before launch

The US space agency Nasa plans to use Starship to send humans to the Moon for its Artemis programme in 2027, however SpaceX claims it has been designed to reach Mars and beyond.

Elon Musk posted on X that liquid oxygen leaks at the launchpad had stopped Sunday's planned test flight. Poor weather was then blamed for a subsequent cancellation on Monday, which came about with only 40 seconds left on the countdown clock.

However, on Tuesday success appeared set from the beginning, with the booster's engines initiating according to plan.

The booster was seen to separate from the spacecraft, before falling into the Gulf of Mexico - referred to as the 'Gulf of America' by former ally Donald Trump.

Starship continued to gain altitude, achieving a maximum height of nearly 200km above the Earth, before journeying around the planet.

Parts of the engine appeared to explode during the flight, and during its descent the rocket's flaps appeared to burn and swing wildly.

However, SpaceX said in a post-launch statement: "Over the course of a flight test campaign, success will continue to be measured by what we are able to learn, and Starship’s tenth flight test provided valuable data by stressing the limits of vehicle capabilities and providing maximum excitement along the way."

Starship is designed be a fully reusable transport system capable of carrying people to the Moon and Mars.

SpaceX wants the platform to carry huge cargos on lunar missions and to transport up to 100 individuals as part of future spaceflights.

Mr Musk is currently aiming for human travel onboard Starship as early as next year. He has also suggested that it will start un-crewed flights to Mars in the next 12 months.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet business is also linked to the Starship missions. Mr Musk aims to use the world's largest rocket to launch batches of Starlink satellites into space.

Outfitted with prototype heat-shield materials, Starship will deploy dummy Starlink satellites. Previously these satellites have been deployed into orbit by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

This year, after a series of explosive failures, critics of Mr Musk had begun to speculate whether his foray into US politics had distracted him from achieving success in space.

The SpaceX owner had been a close ally of US President Donald Trump during his 2024 election campaign. He then served in the Trump administration as the head of Doge - the body tasked with reducing US government spending and cutting jobs.

A public falling out in June caused a significant split between the US president and Mr Musk.

This year the White House announced that it would be significantly decreasing Nasa's budget, which could impact on SpaceX's future missions.

For now, the success of Starship's latest flight marks a significant advance for both SpaceX and Mr Musk, as he continues to expand both his own private ventures and US space dominance.