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Watch incredible moment SpaceX’s Starship rocket blasts off for fourth test launch in major step towards Mars travel
Check out the launch in the video above
Watch the incredible moment SpaceX's Starship mega-rocket blasts off on its fourth test launch.
It marks another step forward for Elon Musk's plans to colonise Mars, and Nasa's efforts to get boots on the moon in 2026.
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SpaceX, founded by Musk, launched Starship around 9:45am EDT (1:45pm BST) launch from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas on 6 June.
The fourth test flight saw parts of the rocket break off in flames during re-entry, in what teams on the ground described as a "light show".
Starship got significantly battered during the re-entry, with one of the wings looking like it was about to tear off.
There has been no sign of the rocket since its re-entry, so it's still unclear what condition it is in.
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Nevertheless, the rocket conducted its first-ever landing burn into the Gulf of Mexico.
The team used SpaceX's Starlink satellites to maintain communications with the rocket during reentry, where there have previously been blackouts.
Today's test flight also demonstrated the first successful splashdown of the Super Heavy rocket booster in the water below.
SpaceX said Starship managed to fly even further than its previous test flight.
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Starship, developed as part of a $1.15billion contract with Nasa, refers to the reusable stainless steel top half of the rocket.
Whereas as the bottom half of the rocket is its booster, known as Super Heavy.
The 33-engine, $3billion mega-rocket is the largest vehicle to ever get off the ground.
It is both the tallest rocket and the most powerful, producing up to 7.6million kilograms of thrust.
That is nearly double the current record held by Nasa’s Space Launch System (SLS).
Smashed records
The third test launch in March saw Starship - and the Super Heavy rocket booster - fly faster and "further" than ever before.
It smashed records set by its second launch attempt in November, which exploded roughly 10 minutes after launch.
While the spacecraft fell apart on reentry, it completed several mission objectives that marked the flight a success.
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One of the major objectives was achieving a fuel transfer while up in the air.
This maneuver will be essential to landing humans on the moon and ensuring astronauts have enough propellant to reach Mars.
Life on Mars and beyond
Starship is the embodiment of Musk's personal mission to make humans an interplanetary species.
The SpaceX team have repeatedly said Starship is "critical" to creating a "self-sustaining city" on Mars.
While the conditions on the Red Planet are significantly less hospital than Earth's, it is one of our closest habitable neighbours.
From the onset, Starship was designed with the capacity to store more than 100 tons of cargo and up to 100 passengers.
It has been intended to store everything humans will need to build permanent bases on both Mars, and the moon.
In Starship, it would take just six months to reach Mars.
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