Video: SpaceX’s Starship Successfully Makes Vertical Water Landing

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has shared a rare video of a Starship upper stage making a vertical water landing.

The video, posted on X (formerly Twitter), is from Starship’s sixth test flight (IFT-6) which took place on November 19, 2024.

This test attracted even more attention as then-President elect Donald Trump was present at Starbase, Texas to witness the event.

Musk announced that SpaceX would attempt another water landing in the upcoming Flight 8 test scheduled for today. The company has already received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the launch.

This is a real video of a past @SpaceX Starship water landing.

Trying again tomorrow.

We need to perfect ship reentry at extreme temperatures before attempting to catch the ship with the tower arms, like the booster.

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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 2, 2025

The goal of these tests is to improve Starship’s reentry and landing techniques. Musk explained that before attempting a tower-arm catch, SpaceX must first perfect reentry under extreme heat conditions.

“We need to perfect ship reentry at extreme temperatures before attempting to catch the ship with the tower arms, like the booster,” he stated on X.

SpaceX has been working on a thermal protection system (TPS) for Starship to ensure it survives reentry. The spacecraft is equipped with specially designed heat shield tiles that can endure the intense temperatures caused by atmospheric friction and high-speed descent.

Starship is the first ever rocket design capable of making life multiplanetary.

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— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) March 3, 2025

During the previous test, Flight 7, SpaceX removed some of these heat tiles from the ship’s fake catch pins to assess how the metal would handle extreme conditions.

However, this test ended with the destruction of Ship 33 due to a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (RUD).

Despite setbacks, SpaceX continues to refine its technology to make Starship fully reusable. A successful reentry is crucial to ensure the spacecraft reaches the launch tower intact for future missions.

Each test brings SpaceX closer to its long-term goal of making space travel more efficient and sustainable.

Reference: teslaoracle