T HE LAUNCH was remarkable: a booster rocket with twice the power of the Apollo programme’s Saturn V lancing into the early-morning sky on a tight, bright column of blue-tinged flame. But that wonder has been seen four times before. It was the landing of the booster stage of SpaceX’s fifth Starship test flight which was truly extraordinary.

Incredible photos showed Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship making a spectacular “belly flop” splash-down in the Indian Ocean Sunday morning following a successful test flight. The