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On Sunday, SpaceX achieved a groundbreaking milestone by successfully flying a 232-foot rocket booster back to its launch site and catching it mid-air with two massive mechanical arms, known as “Chopsticks.” This advancement represents a significant leap in spaceflight technology, propelling SpaceX closer to its ambitious objectives for future Mars exploration and lunar missions in collaboration with NASA astronauts.
This remarkable feat occurred during the latest test flight of the Starship rocket, indicating substantial progress toward SpaceX’s long-term goals, which include human missions to Mars and the immediate aim of landing NASA astronauts on the moon. Another crucial aspect of the test flight was the successful splashdown of the rocket in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk expressed his excitement on X, stating, “A big step toward making life multiplanetary was made today,” following the successful fifth flight test of Starship.
What is the Starship rocket system?
Starship is a two-stage rocket, consisting of the “Ship” on top and the Super Heavy booster below. It is the most powerful launch system ever created, designed to carry up to 100 passengers on extended interplanetary missions. In addition to supporting satellite deployment and establishing a lunar base, Starship aims to facilitate point-to-point travel on Earth.
The Super Heavy booster, which serves as the first stage of the Starship system, is powered by 33 Raptor engines that utilise sub-cooled liquid methane and liquid oxygen. Its design emphasises reusability, allowing it to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and land back at the launch site.
Starship is also poised to deliver large quantities of cargo to the Moon’s surface, a critical step in establishing a lunar base that will support future space exploration and human spaceflight initiatives. Under NASA’s Artemis missions, SpaceX will supply the lunar lander to return astronauts to the Moon’s surface for the first time in five decades. For Mars colonisation, the fully reusable Starship system will provide a cost-effective means of transporting substantial cargo and crew. With the capability of on-orbit propellant transfer, Starship can transport up to 100 people to Mars or other distant destinations.
The journey of SpaceX’s “Chopstick” arms from testing to successful rocket recovery
SpaceX’s “Chopstick” mechanical arms are designed to catch descending rockets using pincer-like grips at the launch pad. Engineers signal the “go for booster catch” during the rocket’s return, and the Flight Director manually oversees the process. The catch employs precision guidance, and a successful catch is contingent on meeting thousands of criteria, including the health of both the booster and the tower systems.
In August, SpaceX initiated testing of the launch pad and tower arms in preparation for catching the Super Heavy rocket booster after Flight 5. The recent Starship test marked the first attempt at this challenging tower catch. During initial tests, the arms often impacted the sides of a rocket booster cylinder while simulating a catch. Following these trials, one arm was replaced, and testing progressed as attention shifted to the second-stage Starship. Local media footage revealed that the tower arms underwent at least six additional tests, with some trials involving the arms closing around the booster cylinder without making contact, while others focused on the vertical movement around the booster piece.
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