Starship's 6th Test Flight Witnessed by Trump and Musk Together | WPN World People News

SpaceX conducted the sixth test flight mission (IFT-6) of its Starship in Texas on November 19, local time (November 20, Taiwan time). President-elect Donald Trump personally attended the event, witnessing the launch alongside SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

According to foreign media reports, the Starship rocket system stands approximately 122 meters tall and is designed to land astronauts on the Moon and transport personnel to Mars. The launch took place at 4 PM local time, with the rocket ascending to an altitude of 62 kilometers. At this point, the 71-meter-tall first-stage Super Heavy booster separated from the second-stage Starship spacecraft, propelling the spacecraft into space. Initially, the first-stage booster was expected to return to Earth and land using a massive mechanical arm system nicknamed "chopsticks." However, it unexpectedly fell into the Gulf of Mexico, indicating unresolved issues.

For unknown reasons, the booster recovery attempt using the "chopsticks" system was abandoned four minutes after launch. Meanwhile, the spacecraft successfully entered orbit around Earth and splashed down in the Indian Ocean about an hour later. The Starship is designed as a fully reusable system, and its catch-landing technique, unveiled last month, marks a significant milestone. Prior to the launch, Musk commented on social media that the November 19 capture attempt would be "faster and more challenging."

Last week, Trump announced plans to invite Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to co-lead a newly proposed 'Department of Government Efficiency.' Trump's decision to travel to Texas to observe the test flight with Musk further underscores the deepening alliance between the two.