Starship Test: Elon Musk Praises High-Precision Landing

18:59 / 29.07.2026·23·Technology

Another important step has been taken in space exploration and reusable rocket technology. SpaceX founder Elon Musk officially announced the results of the 13th test flight of the Starship spacecraft system, which took place on July 24, 2026. This test is significant as it further expands the technical capabilities of the device for future space missions, including flights to Mars. This was reported by Ixbt.com reports .

According to ixbt.com, the upper stage of the Starship spacecraft made a controlled landing with extremely high precision in the waters of the Indian Ocean. Elon Musk noted that the ship moved with such precision that if such a task had been set in the test program, it could have even been caught using the mechanical "arms" of the special launch tower known as Mechazilla.

Main results of the test and technical condition

During the flight, Starship successfully passed the atmospheric reentry stage. After that, the ship performed the necessary deceleration using its engines and softly touched the ocean surface. The most important aspect for specialists is that even after splashing down, the ship remained intact and is currently still floating on the water surface.

This situation allowed engineers and designers to gather extremely valuable information about the condition of the ship's hull and its thermal protection coating after returning to Earth. This telemetry data will play a decisive role in improving future prototypes.

Upcoming tasks and Mars plans

However, this test flight cannot be called completely successful. While the upper stage performed its task brilliantly, the Super Heavy booster ended its flight with a hard impact against the water. Nevertheless, the SpaceX team is preparing for the next stages based on the experience gained.

According to Elon Musk, the next important milestone of the program will be the successful capture and return of the Starship spacecraft using the Mechazilla service tower. Currently, the company is preparing for a special recovery operation to capture and retrieve the Starship S40 prototype. Also, in the future, as part of this huge program leading humanity to Mars, the landing process of the first humans on the Red Planet is planned to be carried out 5-7 years from now.