SpaceX launched its Starship rocket system on its sixth test flight on Tuesday, with Donald Trump present at the company’s launch pad in Texas.

Trump’s presence underlines the close ties that SpaceX owner Elon Musk has built with the newly elected president after investing more than $100 million in his campaign.

The nearly 400-foot-tall structure — which houses the Starship spacecraft stacked on top of a Super Heavy booster — lifted off flawlessly at 2 p.m. Pacific Standard Time from Starbase, the company’s facility in Brownsville, Texas, next to the Gulf of Mexico. The unmanned spacecraft was sent on its way to land in the Indian Ocean, while the booster returned to Earth less than seven minutes later.

The booster completed a controlled landing in the Gulf of Mexico, but was unable to complete a return to the launch pad, where it would be captured by giant mechanical arms called “chopsticks” attached to the launch tower – a remarkable feat . attempted and achieved during Starship’s fifth test flight on October 13.

It was not clear exactly why the booster could not return to the launch tower, but SpaceX said factors included the safety of the launch team, the platform and the public.

The test flight was expected to end about an hour after takeoff, after Starship completed several maneuvers en route to a controlled ocean landing more than 3,000 miles away.

The Starship launch system is the largest and most powerful ever built, with more thrust than the gigantic Saturn V that propelled the Apollo astronauts to the moon. SpaceX has a $4 billion contract to develop a “lunar lander” version of the Starship spacecraft that could return astronauts to the moon as part of its Artemis III mission, scheduled for September 2026.

However, Musk developed the rocket system to take astronauts to Mars, something he would like to achieve in his lifetime. Trump has expressed interest in such a venture and questions why the space agency has focused on the moon.

“I’m going to the Great State of Texas to witness the launch of the largest object ever put into space, not just by lifting it off the ground. Good luck to Elon Musk and the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project!” the president-elect posted on the conservative social media network Truth Social on Tuesday before the test flight.

Musk has transformed the space sector by creating reusable booster rockets that lower costs, such as the company’s workhorse Falcon 9, which sends satellites into space. Reusing the Super Heavy booster has dramatically reduced costs, with each booster powered by 33 engines fueled by methane. The reusable upper Starship spacecraft is powered by six engines.

Musk, who splits time and also manages Tesla and his other companies, was appointed by Trump last week to lead an agency of the Department of Government Efficiency along with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. However, many details still need to be worked out, including the fact that the department doesn’t even exist.