The world’s largest rocket, Starship, achieved a major milestone on October 13, when it successfully landed after reaching an altitude of over 65km. The reusable spacecraft, built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, reignited its engines to slow down and hovered above the launchpad before landing safely.
This achievement marks a new era in affordable heavy-lift rockets, with potential costs reduced by a factor of 10 compared to traditional methods. With plans for 25 flights this year, SpaceX is poised to make a major leap in space exploration. The company’s engineers have developed a schedule that allows for launches every two or three weeks.
Scientists are excited about the prospects of Starship, which could enable them to carry out research in space more affordably. Routine missions could allow scientists to build instruments with cheap parts and launch them often, opening up possibilities for fleets of robot rovers on Mars and giant telescopes in space.
However, not everyone is optimistic about SpaceX’s plans. Some scientists are concerned that the reusable rocket system could make NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) obsolete within a few years. Others have reservations about Elon Musk’s politics and his close association with Donald Trump.
Ultimately, SpaceX’s hopes for Starship are focused on colonizing Mars, with plans to launch uncrewed missions in two years and crewed flights in four. While the challenge of sending humans to Mars is significant, some experts argue that it is a “dangerous delusion” to think that space offers an escape from Earth’s problems.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/05/why-elon-musks-starship-rocket-is-beating-nasa-in-the-space-race