A camera installed on the International Space Station (ISS) accidentally captured the launch of SpaceX’s Starship rocket. The video was recorded by the Sen Corporation’s SpaceTV-1 video camera. The recording was made in timelapse format based on images broadcast live.
Congratulations @SpaceX on the incredible sixth test flight of Starship. We captured the launch plume live from our cameras on the Space Station 🚀 pic.twitter.com/7rIpu1rwb3
— sen (@sen) November 20, 2024
On November 19, a 4K SpaceTV-1 camera recently installed in orbit captured the moment of launch of the nearly 120-meter Starship rocket. It was the sixth test launch, overseen by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The video shows a vertical plume of white smoke forming seconds after liftoff from the launch pad at SpaceX’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The Gulf of Mexico can be seen in the background.
Such footage is a real rarity. Experts from Getty Images called this video the first time in history when a rocket launch was recorded in real time from space.
Starship launch from @ISS. We happened to be overhead! pic.twitter.com/SLRlLoRriv
— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) November 21, 2024
Despite the success of the launch, the test didn’t end well: the first stage of the Super Heavy rocket failed to make its planned vertical landing using the giant mechanical arms on SpaceX’s Mechazilla tower and fell into the Gulf of Mexico. However, the Starship spacecraft made almost a full orbit around the Earth before falling into the Indian Ocean.
The main goal of Starship is to transport people and cargo to the Moon and Mars. The concept of reusable spacecraft could significantly reduce the cost of interplanetary travel. NASA has already contracted with SpaceX for more than $4 billion to land astronauts on the Moon using Starship in missions scheduled for later this decade.
Elon Musk has even more ambitious plans: to create a Starship fleet that will help build a city on Mars in the future.
We previously reported on how residents were frightened by Starship’s unbearable noise.
Provided by petapixel.com
