SpaceX just launched a private crew to orbit — watch the highlights Prior to Monday’s mission, the B1067 booster last flew on February 15 when it also deployed a batch of Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit. Reusing the first stage of the rocket has allowed SpaceX to slash launch costs, making spaceflight more affordable for a greater number of commercial firms, government bodies, and scientific institutions, among others, that wish to put satellites into space. Following a number of failed attempts, SpaceX performed its first Falcon 9 booster landing in 2015, and since then the team behind the technology has nailed the process. SpaceX engineers have applied what they’ve learned to the next-generation Starship rocket, whose first-stage booster, the 71-meter-tall Super Heavy, descends into the embrace of the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms when it returns to Earth. If you’ve never seen it, the impressive maneuver is definitely worth a look. SpaceX hopes that with continued development, Starship flights using the same Super Heavy booster will be possible within just a few days, once checks and refurbishment work is complete. When ready, the Starship is expected to fly crew and cargo to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program, and also conduct the first crewed mission to Mars, possibly in the 2030s. Editors’ Recommendations