Mars colonization is getting closer: Elon Musk's Starship rocket successfully returns to Earth. Photo and video

On Thursday, June 6, SpaceX conducted the fourth test launch of the Starship rocket system in Texas (USA). This allowed billionaire Elon Musk to bring humanity one step closer to the colonization of Mars.

The Starship rocket landed in the Gulf of Mexico. In a post on X, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson welcomed the successful launch.

He noted SpaceX's efforts to launch the Starship. According to the NASA head, the return of mankind to the Moon with the help of the Artemis program is one step closer.

"And then to Mars," Nelson added.

The launch vehicle landed in the Gulf of Mexico eight minutes after takeoff. This was an important milestone in the company's plans to return the super-heavy launch vehicle to the launch site for reuse.

SpaceX explained in a statement that the Starship made a controlled reentry, successfully passing through the phases of peak heating and maximum aerodynamic pressure. This demonstrated the ability to control the vehicle with the help of flaps during descent in the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds.

Starship is designed to be fully reusable, which is why SpaceX sought to monitor the launch vehicle's entry into the Persian Gulf and the spacecraft's descent into the Indian Ocean. Such actions are intended to practice the planned future landings.

After Thursday's launch, none of the stages will be raised to the surface. Starship is classified as a super-heavy launch vehicle, considered the most powerful ever built. The rocket, according to the Daily Mail, entered the atmosphere an hour after takeoff, pieces of its flaps began to break off, and a hole appeared when the debris filled the camera, breaking the lens.

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