SpaceX’s Starship megarocket, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, reached orbital speed for the first time in its third test flight, hitting new milestones in development.
With hundreds watching, the rocket lifted off at 9:25 a.m. and quickly surpassed its previous distance mark. You can see the launch here at the 40-second mark. The rocket is critical to NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the moon later this decade.
The rocket and its boosters broke up before splashing down in the Indian Ocean, but the test was considered a success. The two previous launches both exploded before completing their mission objectives.
