SpaceX has scripted historywith the fifth testof its massive Starship rocket system . The giant rocket launched from the Starbase web site in South Texas before today , and follow a brief trip to space , the reusable space vehicle made a splashdown in the Indian Ocean .
But the more remarkable effort was the successful capture of the Super Heavy protagonist , a fully reusable first stage that stands at a towering 71 meters and make might from 33 Raptor engines . Up till now , the boosters have splashed into the water ( or got damaged ) , but this fourth dimension , SpaceX carry off to enchant it using gargantuan mechanical arms .
Starship rocket booster catch by towerpic.twitter.com/aOQmSkt6YE
& mdash ; Elon Musk ( @elonmusk)October 13 , 2024
For the first prison term , the Elon Musk - led company captured the spaceship booster by executing what it call the “ chopstick ” maneuver . An staggering feat in itself , the “ mechazilla ” system enchant the hulking first - stage kit seven minute after its launching as it slowly derive into the metal arm ’s embrace .
“ Big stone’s throw towards make life multiplanetary was made today , ” SpaceX CEO Musksharedon X , the platform formerly known as Twitter that Musk also heads up .
This marks the first time that SpaceX has captured the booster in one piece without any critical equipment casualty , alternatively of it explode or landing in a pee torso . SpaceX is no unknown to recovering garden rocket , as the company has been retrieving Falcon rockets for years on floating platform .
But with the Starship , which is the enceinte and most powerful Eruca sativa ever built , the challenge , as well as the risk , was immense . A successful demonstration would have in mind SpaceX is not only able of making vehicles that are ready for space missionary post , but also rare powerful rockets that are reclaimable .
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This is an unprecedented approaching that would save C of millions of one dollar bill for not only skill - get missions , but also commercial distance activities . Starship , which SpaceX claims is “ adequate to of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes fully recyclable and 250 metric tonnes expendable , ” has already bagged NASA contracts for the ambitious Artemis missions .
The Starship launching vehicle , which stand 121 meters in height , is capable of carry up to 100 multitude , with long - term outer space commission being the primary target area . With its latest flight , SpaceX accomplished both its targets of a successful booster capture and a spacecraft splashdown surveil a trip to space .
“ SpaceX engineer have spent years preparing and months test for the booster stop attempt , with technicians pouring ten-spot of thousands of hours into building the substructure to maximize our fortune for success , ” the company recently write in an update .
The in vogue success will be follow by more such tests , as SpaceX prepares to fulfill its NASA obligations and gears up for crewed mission to the Sun Myung Moon and , eventually , Mars in the long ravel .
