SpaceX launches 'Starship' with components from Evanston company

EVANSTON, Ill. - SpaceX has achieved another milestone in its quest to return astronauts to the moon and, eventually, to Mars. The successful launch of the Starship rocket on Thursday included assistance from a company based in Evanston, Illinois.

The third test launch of the largest and most powerful rocket in the history of space flight, Starship, took place from Texas at 8:25 a.m. Chicago time. Developed by SpaceX in collaboration with NASA, the vehicle's "Super-Heavy" booster contains components designed at QuesTek, an innovation company located in Evanston.

"For this particular rocket engine, it does include some materials that QuesTek helped with, and these relate to the containment where the blast and where the fire is coming out of the back of the engine," explained Jason Sebastian, Vice President of QuesTek Innovations.

Sebastian and his team at QuesTek utilize computational models to develop advanced materials capable of withstanding the immense pressures of space travel, including more than eight million pounds of thrust.

"Steel is iron plus nickel and carbon and chrome, but also the processing of that material, what temperatures to use when you melt it, and when you forge it and when you heat treat it," Sebastian elaborated.

Although Starship may have disappeared upon re-entry, the mission was deemed a successful test flight. Success for SpaceX translates to success for QuesTek.

"I've been to the SpaceX headquarters, and I've seen that place where you see everybody cheering and such, and we're rooting for them," said Sebastian.