SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in the company's first earnings call on Tuesday that SpaceX plans to conduct the next “Starship” flight test as early as this month, launch the first batch of upgraded “Starlink” satellites into orbit, and then return the upper stage of this giant rocket system to land on land for the first time. The goal of the 14th test flight of the “Starship” marks a major leap forward for this reusable rocket since the last test flight in July — when the upper segment of the “Starship” seemed to show greater landing capability over the Indian Ocean. Musk previously said that SpaceX may try to recycle the previous landing sometime this year. Whether it takes place during the 14th flight will depend on whether the 13th flight goes smoothly. The return of the rocket's upper stage, which is the core part of the “Starship,” is critical for SpaceX to achieve its goal of building the world's first fully reusable orbital launch system — Musk hopes to significantly expand the company's “Starlink” broadband network with this system. The landing test will also receive close attention from NASA, which is eager to use the rocket as a lunar module.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in the company's first earnings call on Tuesday that SpaceX plans to conduct the next “Starship” flight test as early as this month, launch the first batch of upgraded “Starlink” satellites into orbit, and then return the upper stage of this giant rocket system to land on land for the first time. The goal of the 14th test flight of the “Starship” marks a major leap forward for this reusable rocket since the last test flight in July — when the upper segment of the “Starship” seemed to show greater landing capability over the Indian Ocean. Musk previously said that SpaceX may try to recycle the previous landing sometime this year. Whether it takes place during the 14th flight will depend on whether the 13th flight goes smoothly. The return of the rocket's upper stage, which is the core part of the “Starship,” is critical for SpaceX to achieve its goal of building the world's first fully reusable orbital launch system — Musk hopes to significantly expand the company's “Starlink” broadband network with this system. The landing test will also receive close attention from NASA, which is eager to use the rocket as a lunar module.