Super Heavy

SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, is preparing for its biggest and riskiest test flight to date. The upcoming mission is expected to push the super heavy-lift vehicle through more ambitious maneuvers than previous attempts, carrying a real possibility of failure. The test is being closely watched as a key step toward future deep-space missions.

SpaceX launched its Starship spacecraft aboard the giant Super Heavy rocket on the vehicle's first attempt to reach orbit. The flight, watched live by audiences worldwide, marks the maiden orbital test of the most powerful rocket ever built, a key step in SpaceX's plans for deep space missions.

SpaceX has launched its Starship rocket on its first orbital test flight, a major milestone for the company's next-generation launch vehicle. The flight marks the first time the fully stacked Starship and Super Heavy booster have flown together, advancing SpaceX's plans for deep space missions. Observers are following how the uncrewed test performs as the most powerful rocket ever built attempts the demonstration.

SpaceX is preparing to launch its Starship rocket on its first planned flight into Earth orbit, a milestone test for the vehicle designed for missions to the Moon and Mars. The uncrewed flight would be the first time Starship flies as a full stack, with the Super Heavy booster and upper stage together. Success would mark a major step for Elon Musk's company and for NASA's lunar plans, which rely on a Starship variant.

California is preparing for flooding and landslides as forecasters expect a super El Niño this year, a warming of equatorial Pacific waters that disrupts weather patterns worldwide. After years of coastal erosion, communities such as Pacifica, south of San Francisco, are already showing strain, and officials worry heavy winter storms could worsen damage to weakened cliffs and hillsides.

SpaceX has released new footage relating to Starship 40, the latest Super Heavy booster, shedding light on salvage and recovery work following its flight. Analysts are combing through the images for clues about the hardware's condition, recovery techniques, and what they mean for the next Starship launch and SpaceX's rapid-reuse ambitions.

SpaceX is preparing the 14th flight test of its Starship Super Heavy rocket, with the mission also set to deploy Starlink satellites. The orbital launch test forms part of the company's iterative campaign to prove out the vehicle for future missions, and attention is focused on how the booster and upper stage perform during the attempt.

The USGS has published an assessment of regional impacts from a super El Niño event, focusing on the Southwestern United States. The outlook highlights heightened risks for the region, which typically faces heavier rainfall, flooding and storm damage during strong El Niño episodes. Interest is focused on what the strengthened pattern could mean for water supplies, infrastructure and communities across the Southwest.

Max Verstappen has prevented George Russell from achieving a rare Formula 1 distinction that, until now, only Lewis Hamilton holds. The specific milestone was not detailed in available reports, but Red Bull's Dutch driver stood in the way of the Mercedes man completing it. Fans and pundits are weighing what the near-miss means for Russell's standing among F1's elite.