Former President Donald Trump joined SpaceX founder Elon Musk at the company’s Starbase facility in Texas on Tuesday to witness the sixth test flight of the Starship rocket. The event underscored the burgeoning relationship between the newly inaugurated president and the billionaire entrepreneur.
Trump expressed his enthusiasm for the launch in a tweet before the event:
"I’m heading to the Great State of Texas to watch the launch of the largest object ever to be elevated, not only to Space, but simply by lifting off the ground. Good luck to @ElonMusk and the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project!"
The launch saw Starship’s upper stage achieve its primary objective—a lengthy suborbital flight to test hardware and software upgrades. However, SpaceX opted for a splashdown of the rocket’s first stage booster in the Gulf of Mexico instead of attempting a ground recovery, as achieved in a previous mission. While the booster exploded upon impact with the water, the company dismissed the setback as part of its iterative testing approach.
The upper stage splashed down in the Indian Ocean after a 1-hour, 5-minute flight, successfully completing additional experiments, including a Raptor engine reignition in space.
Elon Musk, who has become a close ally of Trump since the election, called the president’s presence at the launch an “honor.” Texas Senator Ted Cruz also attended the event.
SpaceX, already a critical partner for NASA with contracts to provide crewed flights to the International Space Station and future lunar missions, is poised to play a pivotal role in the Trump administration's space policy. Trump, who has declared his ambition to see humans land on Mars during his second term, will soon make key decisions about NASA’s future, including the potential expansion of private-sector roles.
The Starship rocket, the most powerful ever built, is designed to lift up to 165 tonnes into orbit with 16 million pounds of thrust—nearly double that of NASA’s Saturn V rockets. Future test flights are planned on a near-monthly basis, with launches from Florida’s Cape Canaveral anticipated next year.
The collaboration between Trump and Musk has drawn significant attention, with some experts suggesting Musk may become a central figure in shaping U.S. space policy. “Elon Musk could be the nation’s most important adviser on space policy,” wrote Eric Berger, senior space editor at Ars Technica .
Tuesday’s flight demonstrated both progress and challenges, with SpaceX continuing its ethos of testing expendable prototypes to achieve long-term goals. As the company presses forward, it remains at the forefront of a new era of space exploration, backed by growing government support.