Today, SpaceX successfully launched its large rocket Starship into orbit for the first time. After an engine failure in the upper stage, SpaceX still managed to reach the desired altitude of 276 km over Brazil. During this 14th test flight, 26 Starlink satellites of the new version V3 were successfully deployed halfway around the globe by 4 p.m. CEST (Video). 

The upper stage was then intended to remain in orbit for six revolutions, a plan that was subsequently reduced to two orbits for safety reasons. The soft splashdown in the North Pacific was successful.

The novelty is the desired complete recyclability of both stages. No one has ever made this claim before and it requires many test flights. According to SpaceX, this means that the costs for flights into space of 48,000 US$/kg (SpaceShuttle) or 6000-8000 US$/kg (Ariane 6) to 150-200 US$/kg. Technically, this is a milestone for space travel, after approaching with 13 previous launches. After all, the launch system weighs 5,000 tons and, with 9,000 tons of thrust, is 3 times more powerful than the Apollo moon rocket Saturn V. The first stage called Super Heavy could already be picked up 2 times undamaged by the launch tower "Mechazilla" only 7 minutes after separation. 2 months ago, the first soft splashdown was successful, during which the upper stage came back undamaged. The spacecraft is currently on its way back to the starbase by sea and is expected there on October 8.

Students from the Leipzig International Space Education Institute have already followed 5 such launches directly on site  (Video). Such an event has currently only been surpassed by the eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano and is positively burned into the career goals of its observers. For the next test flight with Starship 15, guided trips to the Starbase are also planned again. An extensive preparatory program is available to the young scientists aged 10-16 in Leipzig.

Firine Bugenhagen joined the company at the age of 11 in 2016 and is currently completing her bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering at TU Delft. Leipzig has been an insider tip for international aerospace students for 20 years. Many of them already work in this industry. Just 2 weeks ago, the first female US astronaut, Heidemarie Stephanyshyn-Piper, visited the trade fair city of Leipzig.

In addition to the high level of commitment of the students, this is also possible because of the good contacts from Leipzig. For example, SpaceX employee William Gerstenmaier, responsible for flight safety and former NASA head of manned spaceflight (2004-2019), still stands today. He has been in contact with the Leipzig team since 2005 and celebrated his 72nd birthday yesterday with the launch.

A permanent exhibition starts today in the Hugo Junkers Museum with a man-sized model of the Starship of the most modern version 3 (1:96) and the launch tower "Mechazilla. In fact, the foundations for the Starship were laid in Dessau in the 1930s. On the one hand, this concerns the use of methane as a fuel and also the bundling of standardized engines for different performances.

Rocket pioneer Johannes Winkler, under Hugo Junkers, already used methane for his HW2 liquid rocket and worked out calculations to standardize engines in bundles. This is exactly what SpaceX is now applying to Starship: 33 so-called Raptor engines generate the thrust of 9,000 tons during launch. Then the separation takes place. The same engines (6 units) then also work in the upper stage of the rocket to reach orbit.

Pupils can report daily from 4 p.m. on campus at the reception of the Space Hotel at Wurzner Str. 4. They work together on weekends and holidays.

The Technikmuseum Hugo-Junkers in Dessau is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.