SpaceX’s fourth test flight of its Starship vehicle has successfully ended with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The launch took place from Texas at 8:50 AM ET, with the vehicle performing a successful hot-stage separation from its Super Heavy booster rocket. The booster executed a planned landing burn, touching down in the Gulf of Mexico.

The combined 394-foot system, consisting of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft, is the most powerful launch vehicle ever developed. Known collectively as Starship, it boasts a significant payload capacity designed to transport satellites, large amounts of cargo, and up to 100 passengers for future space missions. Both the spacecraft and the booster are fully reusable, a feature intended to significantly reduce the costs of space travel.

Following its separation, the Starship vehicle continued on its trajectory toward reentry. During the flight, live camera footage showed a damaged flap burning and starting to detach. Despite this, the vehicle remained intact long enough to relight its engines and perform a “soft landing” in the ocean. Elon Musk noted in a tweet, “Despite the loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the ocean!”