On April 20, 2023, SpaceX launched its Starship rocket, which is the biggest and most powerful rocket yet built. Despite the rocket’s explosion seconds after launch, the company and industry observers do not consider the flight a failure. Rather, they see the test as a success and a key milestone for the private spaceflight company. SpaceX sees the flight as a win because any flight that did not blow up the rocket’s launchpad would be considered a success. SpaceX’s engineers will use the information gained from the test to guide work on future versions of the spacecraft, with the next test planned for a few months from now.

The Starship rocket and the Super Heavy booster that it sits upon are both designed to be reusable. SpaceX plans to top off Starship’s fuel tanks in orbit to power more adventurous space missions. Although Super Heavy and Starship have each flown before, the flight marked the first time they launched as a unit. Most of Super Heavy’s 33 engines fired successfully for several minutes. This was a feat because no rocket has ever carried so many engines, and all of the engines were working at the limit of what the materials could handle.

Although something went wrong during stage separation when the two vehicles should have parted ways, SpaceX engineers gained valuable data from the test. They can use this data to finetune the vehicle and ensure that the next flight lasts longer and soars much higher. The private spaceflight company expects to see quicker iterations once that first test flight is off the ground and they get the data they need to improve for the next time.

Starship’s heft means that it will be able to launch larger, heavier instruments to more distant destinations. If SpaceX meets its reusability goals, the voyages could come at a much lower price. Scientists are eager to ride on Starship and launch their larger instruments into space. That opens up the possibility for many more flights, many more instruments, many more payloads to be launched into space.