Collection: The "Belly Flop" Collection

The "Starship" is the newest prototype rocket developed by SpaceX. Starship is unique in many aspects, but mostly because it is designed to be the first 100% reusable rocket, meaning it will eventually be able to travel to orbit and return in one piece. Before all that, though, Starship has to demonstrate that it is capable of achieving a critical mission: Ascend 15 kilometers into the sky, freefall, and then land. The method for how it will accomplish this is informally known as the "belly flop maneuver"; in which, once the 15 Km altitude is reached, the engines cut off, the rocket flips 90 degrees onto its side and free falls, unpowered, back down to earth. If you've had the opportunity of witnessing this either in person or through one of the livestreams, it is breathtakingly scary and exciting to watch! Once Starship is back to a few hundred feet off the ground, it will attempt to flip back into a vertical position, reignite its rocket engines and perform a most satisfying, upright landing to everyone's astonishment!