If you noticed a bright trail in the sky between 6:12 pm and 6:14 pm this Tuesday, know that it was not a celestial phenomenon, but rather a test flight of the company’s Starship spacecraft. SpaceXreported the Caribbean Astronomy Society (SAC).
According to the educational entity, the impressive rocket, which took off at 6:00 pm from Boca Chica, Texas, was seen from different places on the island and, beyond being a spectacle for the eyes, some observers perceived a sound only.
“It exceeded expectations in terms of how well it was seen from across the island”he noted, in written statements, Eddie Irizarryscientific communicator of the SAC.
The organization anticipated, on its social networks, that the takeoff could be visible from Puerto Rico, since the trajectory of the launch was in the direction of the Caribbean. The ship would then continue its flight towards southern Africa and land over the Indian Ocean.
“In addition to the fact that it looked extremely impressive, it was striking that several observers noticed that it emitted a roar or low-frequency sound.”Irizarry highlighted.
“From Caguas I also noticed the curious sound, and there are already several people who have contacted us to report the noise it emitted while passing over the Island,” For his part, said Nelson Ortega, vice president of the SAC.
It was the sixth test launch of Starship, an aircraft whose flight consists of two stages. In the first stage, SpaceX recovers the main booster rocket, known in English as “Super Heavy”, once its main task of taking the Starship into space is completed. In the second stage, Starship resumes its mission and is designed to return to the surface and land vertically, at least in theory.
According to the SAC, although the booster rocket would try to return to the launch platform, some slight damage to the upper part of the structure on the ground caused the return of the fuselage to be aborted, so it descended into the Gulf of Mexico, an option that It was already planned in advance in case any difficulty was detected.
“Although it would be passing our area at high speed, it is impressive to know that you ‘arrive’ by rocket from Texas to Puerto Rico in less than 15 minutes,” noted the educational entity.
During the flight, SpaceX would test some improvements that will allow for better precision in the descent of the ship, as well as protection improvements against the high temperatures that occur during descent.
SpaceX plans to make Starship the first private service that can reach the Moon and Mars to establish permanent colonies, a vision considered viable by the billionaire Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX.
At this launch, Musk witnessed the event in the company of the president-elect donald trumpwho recently nominated him to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency.
To achieve the certifications of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Starship will be part of the Artemis III missionthe first in more than half a century that will return a crew to the lunar surface and is scheduled for 2026.