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Starship SN15 lands
On May 5, 2021, SpaceX said Starship SN15 flew to about 10 km on three Raptors and landed on the pad.
Topics: space-civilization starship
This page is an original Muskularity summary. It does not republish SpaceX’s full post. Figures are the company’s statements on the cited date unless another primary link is named.
Summary
SN15 flew SpaceX’s fifth high-altitude Starship test from Starbase on May 5, 2021. Three Raptor engines powered the climb and shut down in sequence before apogee, about 10 kilometers. The ship switched to header tanks, flipped for a controlled fall, and steered with two forward and two aft flaps. Engines relit for the landing flip and SpaceX called the touchdown nominal. The company did not report a post-landing explosion for this vehicle, unlike SN10. The purpose statement is the usual one: learn how to build a reusable ship for crew and cargo, the Moon, and Mars.
Key facts
| Fact | Label |
|---|---|
| Fifth high-altitude flight, May 5, 2021, apogee about 10 km | Company flight report |
| Three Raptors up, header-tank landing, four flaps | Company flight description |
| Touchdown described as nominal | Company flight result |
Why it matters
SN15 is the first high-altitude prototype in this archive that SpaceX said landed and stayed landed. SN8 through SN11 are the failures that led here. The orbital vehicle is still years of different hardware; this test is the flap-and-flip landing, not a Super Heavy flight.
On this site
Sources
- SpaceX update, May 5, 2021 — Grade A, company post
- SpaceX high-altitude flight playlist linked from the post — Grade A, company video
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