The megafuselage Starship SpaceX’s Starship took off this Tuesday during a new test flight, in the presence of the company’s boss Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump, who used the event to show their new closeness.

But the rocket’s 70-metre-high Super Heavy first stage, which SpaceX said would return to earth by falling into the giant mechanical arms of its launch tower, ended up in the sea, the US company announced. This complex maneuver, designed to make the rocket fully reusable, was the first to be successfully completed during the previous test flight last month.

SpaceX aims to use Starshipthe world’s largest and most powerful rocket, to colonize Mars. The spacecraft’s development is also being closely followed by NASA, which is counting on it to take its astronauts back to the Moon.

The lift-off from the company’s Starbase base in Boca Chica, Texas, was t sixth test flight. The objectives will be largely similar to last month’s successful test. The rocket consisted of the Super Heavy first stage (70 m high) and, above it, the Starship (50 m), which by extension gives its name to the entire launcher.

More information to follow…