Elon Musk launched a banana to space on Starship: Here’s why

In a whimsical yet strategic move, SpaceX included an unusual passenger on its sixth Starship test flight: a banana.
The fruit, secured inside the spacecraft’s cargo hold, served multiple purposes for the ambitious launch that took place on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas.
The banana’s primary role was to act as a zero-gravity indicator, a tradition in spaceflight where a small object is used to visually demonstrate when the spacecraft enters microgravity.
This simple yet effective method allows observers to easily identify the moment when the vehicle reaches space.
However, the banana’s presence aboard Starship went beyond mere tradition. SpaceX used this unconventional payload as an opportunity to familiarize itself with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) regulatory process for approving payloads.
By going through the approval procedures for this harmless fruit, SpaceX aimed to streamline future interactions with the FAA, potentially avoiding regulatory hurdles that have caused delays in the past.
The banana also symbolised SpaceX’s readiness to begin testing more substantial payloads on future Starship missions. As the company looks ahead to launches planned for 2025, this seemingly playful addition to the spacecraft signifies a serious step towards Starship’s operational capabilities.
SpaceX embraced the humour of the situation, featuring the banana prominently in pre-launch imagery and even offering “Banana (For Scale)” merchandise on its website.
This lighthearted approach not only generated public interest but also showcased the company’s ability to blend serious aerospace engineering with pop culture references.
While the banana may seem trivial, its presence on this test flight represents a significant milestone for Starship. As SpaceX continues to develop this massive rocket system for future missions to the Moon and Mars, even the smallest payload serves as a crucial step towards realising these ambitious goals.