Musk's SpaceX successfully launches its Starship mega-rocket, lands successful splashdown

SpaceX on Thursday morning successfully launched its Starship mega-rocket and navigated a successful soft splashdown of its first-stage in the Gulf of Mexico.

This is the Elon Musk-founded company's fourth attempt to complete such a mission.

The roughly 400-foot-tall rocket lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas. The first stage, referred to as the Starship Booster or Super Heavy, completed a successful soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The second stage, referred to simply as Starship, splashed down in the Indian Ocean at approximately 9:56 EST.