SpaceX launches sixth test flight of Starship, scraps booster catch

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched its sixth test flight of its massive Starship under clear skies late Tuesday from South Texas on a mission to evaluate critical upgrades following a successful fifth flight, as the goal of another Super Heavy booster "catch and reuse" was scrapped due to unfavorable conditions.

The two-stage Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, launched at 5 p.m. EST from manufacturing and test facility Starbase on the Gulf Coast near Brownsville, where SpaceX founder Elon Musk, President-elect Donald Trump and a crowd of spectators cheered the massive rocket liftoff.

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