This might be the first launch that tops the jaw-dropping excitement of the Falcon 9 LZ-1 landing way back in 2015. Godspeed starship and best of luck to all the SpaceX team.
… and the dual landings from the first Falcon Heavy flight. Even today that footage looks like cgi
The live view of a Starship fin being attacked by plasma during reentry was pretty close too.
The dual landings for me were far superior. It was straight out of science fiction.
I only got to see the tail end of the shuttle launches (too young) but I imagine watching the first launch/landing felt something like I experienced watching those two boosters land together.
Can confirm.
> the dual landings from the first Falcon Heavy flight
The FH synchronised side booster landing was visually epic and is timeless, but nothing quite tops the distinct feeling of actually seeing a the first stage of an orbital-class rocket return to Earth in a non-mangled up state. This video helps to relive the goosebumps: https://youtu.be/brE21SBO2j8?si=EZ8y5vcRTmG3eU75
Short of the moon landings that I never got to experience, the dual landing (especially that first one!) is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in space flight. Could watch again and again.