SpaceX’s Starship, the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, returned successfully to Earth on Thursday at the end of its fourth test flight.
The rocket completed a controlled fall into the Indian Ocean 65 minutes after taking off from Space X's launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas, on a full test mission around the Earth.
Three previous test missions had ended with Starship exploding or disintegrating.
The development of Starship is being rapidly pursued by billionaire Elon Musk’s company, launching cargo-less prototypes to address any flight issues as early as possible.
This programme is closely monitored by US space agency NASA, which plans to use a version of Starship to send its astronauts to the Moon in 2026.
Musk has been reported as saying that SpaceX is planning at least six Starship test flights this year.
