it is the first time SpaceX has attempted the Bold maneuver one it sees as crucial to its goal of developing fully reusable rockets capable of fying humans scientific equipment and supplies to the moon and onwards to Mars while this was the first attempt that proved successful for Space X this was also the fifth each of starship's earlier four flights has achieved steady progress but they have not been without any hiccups let's take a look at the first four attempts [Music] on the 20th of April last year the Starship prototype made it off the Launchpad but
early in the flight a Cascade of engine failures and fires in the booster caused the vehicle to Tumble before a command was given to destroy it time thear vehicle Tower clear over but even that did not go according to plan a few seconds passed between the command being issued and the rocket finally [Music] exploding 4 3 2 in November last year the second Starship launch traveled much farther the upper stage traveled for 7 minutes and reached an altitude of about 144 km and a speed of about 24,000 kmph the third try this year turned out
to be slightly better but while coasting at the highest point of its trajectory Starship began rolling out of control some 49 minutes after launch it disintegrated earlier in the flight the super heavy booster was to simulate a landing over the Gulf of Mexico but six of 13 engines used for that maneuver shut down early the fourth flight attempt in June this year accomplished an ambitious set of goals for Space X after the Super heavy booster dropped away from the upper stage the booster was able to gently set down in the Gulf of Mexico and we
have BL down the second stage spacecraft then traveled halfway around the world surviving the Searing temperatures of re-entering the atmosphere while making a controlled splash down in the Indian Ocean however the flight was not Flawless and challenging technical hurdles remained during atmospheric re-entry of the upper stage pieces began peeling away from one of the steering flaps near the top of the spacecraft [Music]
