SpaceX launched its sixth Starship rocket Tuesday, proving for the first time that the stainless steel ship can maneuver in space and paving the way for a even larger, upgraded vehicle to debut on the next test flight.
The world’s biggest launcher—standing 398 feet (121.3 meters) tall—lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas at 4 pm CST (22:00 UTC) Tuesday. The rocket headed east over the Gulf of Mexico propelled by 33 Raptor engines arranged on the bottom of its first stage booster, known as the Super Heavy.
A few miles away, President-elect Donald Trump joined SpaceX founder Elon Musk to witness the launch. The SpaceX boss became one of Trump’s most crucial allies in this year’s presidential election.