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For a 'normal' rocket company, this would have been an A+. First time launch, rocket only delayed a few days from first attempt, payload made it to orbit and is healthy.
Do not bother reading any negative headlines about failure to recover the booster etc. Literally the ONLY two companies in the world trying that are SpaceX and Blue Origin.
My guess is they will stick the landing in the first few attempts.
This is great news for all interested in space - means potential second real company making reusable transport to space, true competition for SpaceX (which is good for SpaceX too), and I find it inspirational all around.
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The question now is how many can the build and how fast can they build them. It took them 15+ years to build the first one. I imagine the next one will be faster.
SpaceX is planning to build several Starships each month. They're making Raptor engines at a rate >1/day.
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I’m with sekker, this is a great accomplishment. But the real challenge to its commercial viability may be rapid low cost turnaround, which is what Starship is aiming for.
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Rocket Lab also is looking at reuse, and any space launch company that plans to stay in the game an deliver over a ton to orbit will be looking at it or having their lunch eaten by the various larger rocket co's that have reusable main stages and can perform nearly endless ride shares.
There are also several Chinese companies looking to reuse rockets; but SpaceX is far ahead in the game.
I'm honestly surprised they don't try hard to recover the starships - I can't imagine China doesn't have submarines or salvage vessels in the expected landing areas to perform retrieval of the hardware to pick up engineering secrets.
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Starship and Booster are miracles of simplicity, by design. The intention is for the Starfactory in Boca Chica TX to churn them out in huge numbers. Most aerospace designs use exotic materials. Starship uses stainless steel. Most rockets have to be assembled in sterile environments to prevent contamination to composites or the stir-welded seams between aluminum sheets. Starship can be welded in a tent, and in fact has been, at least initially.
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My nephew worked on the second stage boosters. I spoke to him a month or so ago about the launch and the feeling I got from him was that an expectations were not great.
The success of this launch is huge.
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SpaceX just caught Starship's booster for the second time, but they appear to have experienced a RUD on the Starship itself near the end of it ascent burn.
