OREANDA-NEWS. The prototype spacecraft Starship, created for interplanetary flights by the company SpaceX led by Elon Musk, successfully completed its first test flight.

According to Space.com, the launch took place on August 4 in the settlement of Boca Chica (Texas State, USA) at 18:57 local time (00:57 UTC on Wednesday). The prototype Starship SN5 without a crew ascended to an altitude of 150 metres and landed after a short test flight.

“Mars is looking real,” Musk tweeted after testing.

Tests of previous prototypes, with the exception of the first, Starhopper, ended in failure. In November 2019, the Starship Mk1 burst during a leak test. In February 2020, Starship SN1 was torn apart during test pressurization with liquid nitrogen, as well as Starship SN3 in April. At the end of May, SN4 exploded after a fuel leak. Musk explained unsuccessful tests with human factors.