SpaceX completed a successful test flight of its Starship rocket, reversing a series of failed launches and putting the company back on track for a planned human mission to the Moon in 2027.
Starship — the world’s largest and most powerful rocket — had seen several prior efforts end unsuccessfully, which also dented SpaceX boss Elon Musk’s ambitions to eventually use it for reusable transport to Mars.
The mammoth spacecraft is key to the company’s effort to win major US government contracts and expand its Starlink network of internet satellites, further cementing its dominance of commercial spaceflight: Last month, the Financial Times reported that SpaceX was pursuing a $400 billion valuation in a share sale.