Starship Rocket Successfully Returns to Earth

Fourth Test Flight Lands in Indian Ocean

Uncrewed Mission Achieves Key Milestones

Today, the Starship rocket has successfully returned to Earth on its fourth test flight, landing in the Indian Ocean.

The launch of the Starship rocket from the coast of South Texas on Saturday was a major milestone for SpaceX, Elon Musk's spaceflight company. The mammoth vehicle, which could alter the future of space, has now successfully achieved several key milestones for the first time.

The latest news and live updates on SpaceX's unmanned Starship test launch this morning near Boca Chica Beach, Texas, are available here. The vehicle's last launch ended in a major explosion.

Highlights from SpaceX's Starship Test Flight:

• The powerful rocket, a version of which will carry astronauts to the moon for NASA, launched for the third time on Thursday morning.
• SpaceX's launch of its mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday accomplished a set of ambitious goals that Elon Musk, the company's chief, set out before the flight.