SpaceX conducts sixth Starship test flight with Trump present in Texas

SpaceX successfully launched its sixth Starship test flight on Tuesday from its Texas launchpad, with Donald Trump present. The Starship, the largest rocket ever built, aims for missions to the moon and Mars. The launch went smoothly, but the Super Heavy booster failed to return to the launchpad as planned. Instead, it completed a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, with safety concerns cited as a reason for the change. SpaceX is under contract to develop a lunar lander version of Starship for NASA's Artemis III mission, scheduled for September 2026. Elon Musk's reusable rocket technology has significantly reduced launch costs.