SpaceX’s fourth Starship splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico
A rocket capable of lifting 250 tons into orbit that can be reused time and time again? That's a planetary game changer.
Key takeaways
- The fourth Starship Super Heavy flight test has ended with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
- The vehicle launched from its pad in Texas at 8:50AM ET, before successfully performing a hot-stage separation from its booster rocket.
- Known collectively as Starship, its immense payload capacity should enable it to transport satellites, large quantities of cargo, and up to 100 people for future space missions.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2024) 'SpaceX’s fourth Starship splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico', 311 Institute, 8 June. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/spacexs-fourth-starship-splashes-down-in-the-gulf-of-mexico/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
The fourth Starship Super Heavy flight test has ended with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The vehicle launched from its pad in Texas at 8:50AM ET, before successfully performing a hot-stage separation from its booster rocket. The Super Heavy booster then performed a landing burn as planned before it came down in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Starship vehicle continued along its planned flight path before reentry. Live camera views showed a damaged flap burning and starting to come apart. However, the vehicle stayed in one piece long enough for the engines to relight and perform a “soft landing.” In a tweet, Elon Musk said, “Despite loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the ocean!”
The Future of Space, by Futurist Matthew Griffin
The two-stage 394-foot system, comprised of both the Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft, is the most powerful launch vehicle ever developed. Known collectively as Starship, its immense payload capacity should enable it to transport satellites, large quantities of cargo, and up to 100 people for future space missions. SpaceX designed both the craft and booster components to be fully reusable in a bid to dramatically lower the costs typically associated with space travel and getting into orbit.
Today’s launch follows Starship’s three previous test flights. The last attempt in March successfully launched before it was “lost” shortly before its anticipated splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The craft performed several of its objective manoeuvres before breaking apart during re-entry, including its first full-duration ascent burn, hot-staging separation from its Super Heavy booster, and opening its payload door in space.
See the flight test
The first and second flight tests last year were less successful, with the Starship rocket exploding shortly after launch during both attempts. SpaceX has gathered data through these collective flight tests to improve the probability of success in future Starship launches, with the system expected to carry NASA astronauts back to the Moon during the Artemis III mission by “ no earlier than September 2025.”
What this means for your organisation
Reusable heavy lift changes the maths.
A rocket built to carry huge payloads and fly again could cut the cost of reaching orbit sharply. That makes larger satellites and stations affordable. Space and telecoms firms should revisit plans that were too costly before.
Iteration beats perfection.
Each flight has failed less badly than the last, and this one survived damage. Testing fast and learning from failure speeds progress. Leaders can apply the same approach to their own hardware programmes.
New markets will follow capacity.
Room for many people and large cargo opens space tourism, manufacturing and logistics. Supply will create demand in ways few predict. Strategy teams should consider what abundant launch capacity could enable.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which of our space plans become viable with much cheaper launch?
- Could we test and iterate faster on our own hardware?
- What new markets could abundant launch capacity create for us?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
A rocket capable of lifting 250 tons into orbit that can be reused time and time again? That's a planetary game changer.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity programme, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- fourth Starship Super Heavy flight test spacex.com
- tweet x.com
- Starship spacex.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 8 June 2024. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2024). SpaceX’s fourth Starship splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/spacexs-fourth-starship-splashes-down-in-the-gulf-of-mexico/
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