SpaceX amazes again

Emailed on December 11th, 2020 in The Friday Forward

Look, AirBnB, Stripe, DoorDash and all the recent media darlings are cool. I really mean that. But there's nothing cooler than building an interplanetary logistics company.

Stripe is increasing the GDP of the internet, but SpaceX just belly flopped a rocketship the size of your average water tower (named SN8) from the edge of space and came within inches of landing it upright.

I highly recommend watching the footage here.

Watch for when the engines are intentionally stalled, side boosters flip the starship over into a belly flop position, the starship goes into free fall, then engines reignite to (almost) stick an upright landing.

What's more? SN9 is expected to launch again as early as this month, albeit with a fix to the “low-pressure fuel header tank” responsible for SN8's failed landing.

SpaceX and Elon Musk claim to be on pace for a mission to Mars in 2024, with a manned mission planned for 2026. Starship is integral to the success of these missions.