Update on Our PE Investment Space X- Starship and Spacecraft Achieved First Successful Seaborne Soft Landing
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June 6, 2024 was an exciting day for all of humanity. SpaceX's new-generation “Starship” heavy launch vehicle and spacecraft integration system completed their fourth test launch and achieved the first successful seaborne soft landing. Around 8:50 PM Beijing time on June 6, 2024, SpaceX's Starship conducted its fourth orbital flight test, with the launch site still located at the Boca Chica Starship launch facility on the Gulf Coast of Texas, USA. Shortly after liftoff, the booster rocket successfully landed on the sea surface as planned. The Starship flight lasted about an hour, during which some of the heat shield tiles were shed upon re-entering the atmosphere, burning holes in the wings, but it ultimately persevered to accomplish a successful seaborne landing, completing all its set tasks and objectives.
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Previously, SpaceX had stated on its website that the focus of Starship's 4th test flight would no longer be achieving orbital insertion, but rather demonstrating the vehicle and booster's ability to return and be reused. In April 2023, Starship conducted its first test launch. After liftoff, the booster's engines did not ignite as planned, and the booster failed to separate from the spacecraft as intended. The rocket then exploded and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, severely damaging the launch pad. In November 2023, Starship attempted another test flight. Less than 3 minutes after liftoff, the first and second stages successfully separated, but the booster soon exploded, and the spacecraft also disintegrated before reaching its target altitude. In March of this year, Starship conducted its 3rd test flight, but the spacecraft lost contact during the re-entry phase.
At 8:57 PM Beijing time: The "super-heavy" rocket successfully splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico.
At 9:55 PM Beijing time: The spacecraft successfully executed its landing burn and flip, achieving a successful splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
In 2023, the United States launched rockets a total of 116 times, with SpaceX accounting for 98 of those launches. The former quasi-national team, ULA (United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin), only launched 3 times.
According to Musk's plans, in 2024 when only Falcon (including Falcon Heavy) will be available, SpaceX will launch 144 times, accounting for 90% of global payload mass, which is 10 times the combined total of all other providers. Once Starship matures, SpaceX's payload mass will account for 99% of the global total, 100 times that of all other providers combined.
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In terms of revenue, estimates show that SpaceX's revenue has doubled consecutively over the past three years, growing from $2.3 billion in 2021 to $8.7 billion, and it even achieved its first quarterly profit in 2023, marking an important milestone for the business model.
"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." — Neil Armstrong
Source: Official media/online news