SpaceX launches and LANDS its Starship SN15

SpaceX has successfully launched and landed its Starship Serial Number 15 rocket.

This is the first Starship to land safely on the launch pad at the firm’s Boca Chica, Texas facility.

The Elon Musk-owned company launched SN15around 6:15pm ET, following a day of delays and anticipation.

SN15 ignited its three massive Raptor Engines that shot out streams of white smoke from the base before fire blew out to shoot the rocket into the air.

The prototype climbed through the sky until it reach six miles, where it hovered for a moment and then it perform the infamous sideways flip, dubbed a ‘belly flop’ maneuver by CEO Elon Musk.

‘Starship landing nominal,’ Musk tweet moments after his pride and joy made a safe and successful landing on the pad.

SN15 is the first Starship prototype that was not blown to pieces after a high-altitude test- although a fire sparked at the base after it touched down, but it was quickly contained.

Musk has had his eye on the skies all week and had two previous scrubs of the mission, but he appeared to have luck on his side come Thursday. 

After hitting the six-mile mark, the rocket hovered in place for a few seconds using just a single rocket and performed a controlled aerodynamic descent.

This mimics the technique Starship will use when returning through Earth’s atmosphere from space – presenting the ‘belly’ as it enters the atmosphere reduces the speed of descent as it approaches the ground.   

SN15’s Raptor engines reignited as the vehicle attempted a landing flip maneuver immediately before touching down on the landing pad adjacent to the launch mount, shut down its Raptor Engines and stood tall on the pad.