BOCA CHICA, Texas – For the first time in two years, SpaceX successfully launched and landed its powerful Starship rocket, marking a significant milestone for the private space company’s ambitions of space exploration.

The roughly 400-foot-tall rocket lifted off around 6:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday from the company’s South Texas launch site along the Gulf Coast.

Minutes later, the rocket’s massive booster separated and descended into the Gulf of America, while the spacecraft continued on a brief rendezvous with outer space.

The Starship deployed dummy satellites before splashing down in the Indian Ocean, and the entire event was captured on video.

Employees at SpaceX’s mission control could be heard over a livestream cheering for the achievement, which served as a sharp contrast to r

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