Ten years ago, few would have believed we would soon be caught up in the middle of another space race. But here we are, thanks to the efforts of private companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, or Virgin Galactic, setting out into the unknowns of space with ambitions far greater than ever before.
Finally, more than half a century after the first Moon landing, humanity is ready to expand its reach into the solar system. We are no longer content with going up to the International Space Station, as we’ve done for decades. No, this time we’re preparing to go to the Moon and, for the first time ever, we’re getting ready to send a crewed mission to another planet, Mars.
Landing there is probably still many many years away, but efforts conducted by the likes of SpaceX to get the technology ready are capturing the imagination of the world. Especially considering how now we’re able to witness these attempts first hand, courtesy of high-tech cameras and passionate individuals.
SpaceX’s proposal for a spacecraft capable of carrying humans to Mars is called (for now) Starship. It’s still in prototype stages, being tested for that particularity of SpaceX rockets we’ve all grown to love: landing upright on a pad after completing their mission.
Elon Musk’s company has tested until now a number of these rockets, all of which gloriously exploded when trying to land. Well, not exactly all, as the last one to be tested, SN15, managed to get things right on May 5.
Obviously, in a world that craves space news, this achievement is no longer a novelty. But it never hurts to be able to experience the launch and landing once more, especially in 4K slow motion.
The footage you are about to see below has been shot by a group called Cosmic Perspective, the usual suspects when it comes to delivering incredible footage of space-related stuff. The video is 8 minutes long, but we recommend watching it all, as it is pure poetry.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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