Elon Musk’s Starship rocket has completed a world first after part of it was captured on its return to the launch pad.
The SpaceX vehicle’s lower half maneuvered back beside its launch tower where it was caught in a giant pair of mechanical arms, as part of its fifth test flight.
It brings SpaceX’s ambition of developing a fully reusable and rapidly deployable rocket a big step closer. “A day for the history books,” engineers at SpaceX declared as the booster landed safely.
The chances of the bottom part of the rocket, known as the Super Heavy booster, being caught so cleanly on the first attempt seemed slim.
Prior to the launch, the SpaceX team said it would not be surprised if the booster was instead directed to land in the Gulf of Mexico.
Super Heavy Rocket and Ambitious Reentry Test
This marked SpaceX’s most ambitious test of the Starship spacecraft to date. The Ship part of the rocket, which is where equipment and crew will eventually be held for future missions, fired up its own engines after separating from the booster. It was successfully landed in the Indian Ocean around forty minutes later.
“Ship landed precisely on target! Second of the two objectives achieved”, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X.
Not only was the Ship landed accurately but SpaceX also managed to preserve some of the vehicle’s hardware, which it had not expected.
The highlight of Flight 5 is the return of the Super Heavy booster: the rocket’s first stage returned to the launch pad, where it was caught mid-air by a giant caliper-like mechanism called “Mechazilla.”
The key components of this operation are the large mechanical arms, referred to as “chopsticks” by Musk, which have generated enthusiasm among space fans.
The Starship stands at 397 feet (121 meters) tall, about 90 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.
The Super Heavy booster, at 233 feet tall, produces a thrust of 16.7 million pounds (74.3 meganewtons), roughly twice as powerful as the Saturn V rockets used in the Apollo missions.
Rapid reuse of rocket parts is seen as essential to SpaceX’s goal of drastically reducing the time and cost of launching payloads.
During the previous test flight, Flight 4, SpaceX successfully returned the Starship, although its wings sustained damage during the fiery reentry. The Super Heavy booster smoothly landed in the Gulf of Mexico.
If SpaceX follows the same flight profile as Flight 4 in today’s test, the mission will last just over an hour.
SpaceX and Elon Musk’s Influence on U.S. Politics
Elon Musk has quickly become a major figure in the 2024 United States presidential election. His ownership of X, formerly known as Twitter, and increasing support for former President Trump have positioned him as one of the most influential voices of this election cycle. However, this influence could pose a challenge for Musk if Kamala Harris wins the 2024 election, particularly with regard to SpaceX.
In an interview with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, Musk expressed his views on the upcoming election. What’s relevant here is that Musk appears aware of the potential challenges a Harris victory might pose for him and his ventures, especially SpaceX.