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Space

Starliner and Starship launches propel space industry into a new era

SpaceX successfully launched its Starship rocket the day after Boeing’s Starliner craft made its first crewed flight, a sign that the space industry is hotting up

By Leah Crane

7 June 2024

The SpaceX Starship (left) and the Boeing Starliner (right) launched on the same day

SpaceX; Joe Marino/UPI/Shutterstock

Space flight has entered a new era. Two rocket launches on 5 and 6 June demonstrated the capabilities of relatively new spacecraft, each representing a crucial step forward for human space exploration.

Boeing’s Starliner capsule made its first crewed flight, and SpaceX’s huge Starship rocket made its fourth test flight, the first orbital flight it has fully executed without anything falling apart or exploding.

“Nothing blew up,…

Article amended on 10 June 2024

We have corrected the date of the Starliner launch

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