test flight

Starship's fifth test flight on 13 October was its most successful.

But that didn't happen on the fifth test flight, instead it landed exactly as planned in the Indian Ocean.

The delay is needed to fix an issue with the capsule's heat shield, which returned from the previous test flight excessively charred and eroded, with cracks and some fragments broken off.

"We do not fly until we are ready. We need to do the next test flight, and we need to do it right. And that's how the Artemis programme proceeds."

SpaceX launched its Starship rocket system on its sixth test flight Tuesday, with Donald Trump in attendance at the company’s Texas launchpad.