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SpaceX’s fourth Starship test is the first one to reach splashdown

So what’s next for Starship?

Known collectively as Starship, its immense payload capacity should enable it to transport satellites, large quantities of cargo, and up to 100 people for future space missions. The craft performed several of its objective maneuvers before breaking apart during reentry, including its first full-duration ascent burn, hot-staging separation from its Super Heavy booster, and opening its payload door in space. SpaceX has gathered data through these collective flight tests to improve the probability of success in future Starship launches, with the system expected to carry NASA astronauts back to the Moon during the Artemis III mission by “ no earlier than September 2025.”

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