SpaceX Uses Mechanical Arms to Catch Giant Starship Booster

October 13, 2024 TruthUSA

Elon Musk is aiming for SpaceX to pioneer the development of a reusable spaceship and rocket, with the ultimate objective of shuttling individuals to the moon and Mars.

During SpaceX’s fifth Starship test flight on Sunday, the massive booster successfully returned to the launch pad using mechanical arms for support.

The initial stage of the rocket, known as the “Super Heavy” booster, took off from SpaceX’s facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, at 7:25 a.m. CT, propelling the Starship second-stage rocket into space before detachment at an altitude of approximately 40 miles to initiate its controlled return to the landing site—a critical component of the test flight.

The Super Heavy booster ignited three of its 33 Raptor engines to slow down its rapid descent back to the launch site, aligning itself with the launch pad and tower from which it had departed. The tower, standing over 400 feet tall and equipped with two large mechanical arms at the top, played a crucial role.

With its engines in full operation, the 233-foot-tall Super Heavy booster was gently secured by the tower’s arms, fastening itself in place using small protruding bars underneath the four forward grid fins used for navigation.

“The tower has caught the rocket!!” exclaimed CEO Elon Musk on X following the successful execution.

SpaceX employees erupted in jubilation, cheering and celebrating the achievement. NASA also joined in the festivities, with Administrator Bill Nelson extending his congratulations.

The ongoing testing of Starship will play a crucial role in preparing for NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to land astronauts at the moon’s south pole. Artemis is the successor to the Apollo program, which successfully landed 12 astronauts on the moon over 50 years ago.

The unique catch-landing procedure represents the latest milestone in SpaceX’s relentless pursuit of developing a fully reusable rocket capable of carrying substantial payloads to orbit, transporting astronauts to the moon for NASA, and ultimately reaching Mars—a vision championed by Musk.

Starship's Super Heavy Booster is grappled at the launch pad in Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on Oct. 13, 2024, during the Starship Flight 5 test. (Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images) — Starship’s Super Heavy Booster is grappled at the launch pad in Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on Oct. 13, 2024, during the Starship Flight 5 test. Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images

Simultaneously, the Starship continued its trajectory around the globe following its launch by the booster, reaching altitudes exceeding 130 miles. An hour after liftoff, it executed a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean, contributing further to the day’s accomplishments. A nearby buoy’s cameras captured flames rising from the water as the spacecraft precisely hit the designated spot and sank as intended.

SpaceX confirmed its plans to proceed with the ambitious Starship rocket test flight on Saturday after receiving approval from air safety regulators.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), responsible for granting licenses for rocket launches and reentries, authorized SpaceX’s test mission on Saturday. Subsequently, SpaceX announced on X its intent to launch the Starship on Sunday morning as a “30-minute launch window opens at 7:00 a.m. CT.”

In the previous test conducted in June, the vehicle completed its first full global test mission without losing either the Starship craft or the Super Heavy rocket boosters. The Super Heavy stage met its mission objectives, descending into the Gulf of Mexico’s waters shortly after takeoff post a successful separation from the Starship, which then utilized its own engines to continue its journey into space.

The Starship executed a controlled “soft landing” in the Indian Ocean as planned, Musk reported at the time, “despite loss of many tiles and a damaged flap.”

The fourth flight of the Starship lasted approximately 1 hour.

For the fifth test flight, significant upgrades were made to the Starship, including a comprehensive overhaul of its heat shield.

“SpaceX technicians spent more than 12,000 hours replacing the entire thermal protection system with newer-generation tiles, a backup ablative layer, and additional protections between the flap structures,” the company stated. “This extensive effort, coupled with updates to the ship’s operations and software for reentry and landing burn, aims to build upon the previous flight’s success and ensure a soft splashdown in the target area of the Indian Ocean.”

SpaceX's Starship lifts off during its fifth flight test, in Boca Chica, Texas, on Oct. 13, 2024. (Kaylee Greenlee Beal/Reuters) — SpaceX’s Starship lifts off during its fifth flight test, in Boca Chica, Texas, on Oct. 13, 2024. Kaylee Greenlee Beal/Reuters

FAA Delays

Despite previous delays, the FAA’s approval on Saturday was granted earlier than anticipated. Previously, the regulator had informed SpaceX that its launch license wouldn’t be issued until late November due to modifications to Starship’s flight profile that required a “more in-depth review,” involving consultations with other agencies to assess the flight’s environmental impact.

SpaceX criticized the agency, stating that the bureaucratic process for government paperwork and “unnecessary environmental analysis” for rocket launches “directly jeopardizes America’s dominance in space.” The company confirmed its readiness for the fifth test flight since early August.

“This will be an unprecedented operation in the history of rocket science,” the company remarked regarding the plans for the fifth test in September.

“SpaceX goes to great lengths on every flight to ensure that while we assume risks to our hardware, we make no compromises when it comes to guaranteeing public safety.”

The first two test flights of Starship-Super Heavy in April and November 2023 ended in explosions of both stages. The initial failed test resulted in a sizable crater at the Boca Chica Beach pad, with debris, including concrete, ejected for thousands of feet. The third test in March successfully reached space, surpassing previous milestones, but contact was lost with the Starship during its return near the Indian Ocean.

SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft, atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket, lifts off on its third launch from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on an uncrewed test flight near Brownsville, Texas, on March 14, 2024. (Cheney Orr/Reuters) — SpaceX’s next-generation Starship spacecraft, atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket, lifts off on its third launch from the company’s Boca Chica launchpad on an uncrewed test flight near Brownsville, Texas, on March 14, 2024. Cheney Orr/Reuters

NASA has already ordered two Starships, intending to land astronauts on the moon in this decade as part of its Artemis program. Each moon mission will utilize NASA’s rocket and capsule for departure from Earth but will rendezvous with Starship in lunar orbit for the return journey to Earth.

Musk envisions the Starship eventually replacing the company’s reliable two-stage Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX’s current launch operations already dominate the global satellite and commercial payload delivery to space.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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