13 Oct, 2024 07:01 PM 5 mins to read “Big step toward making life multiplanetary was made today,” Musk posted on X after Sunday’s launch. For years, SpaceX has been landing the booster of its reusable Falcon 9 rocket on barges at sea or a landing pad on land. SpaceX then transports the rocket for refurbishment before bringing it back to the launchpad. The second stage of the Falcon 9, however, is discarded. Having Starship, which is intended to be fully reusable, return to its launch site marks a significant step toward the airline-like operations SpaceX is seeking, where the booster would land, be refuelled and fly again. Precise landings are also important for the missions to the moon. Nasa is investing about $4 billion ($6.5b) into the programme and intends to use Starship to return its astronauts to the lunar surface as part of its Artemis programme. The space agency intends to explore the lunar South Pole, where a treacherous topography of ridges and craters and a low-angled light means the spacecraft visiting there will have to be able to land in defined areas. Nasa has identified 13 such sites that are flat and near resources, such as water. Launching and returning the world's most powerful rocket pic.twitter.com/E8AWRc5TTZ