The American private space company SpaceX achieved success today when, with the help of robotic arms, they were able to grab the first stage of their Starship megarocket during a test flight, world agencies reported.
This is a de facto premiere, which may represent a decisive step towards the reuse of this type of launch vehicle, BTA reported.
Earlier today, the rocket was launched from a launch pad in Boca Chica in the US state of Texas. This was the fifth test for the rocket. After launch, the stage of the rocket, called “Super Heavy“, was intercepted by mechanized arms installed on the launch tower of the launch pad and known by the nickname “bagels”. According to footage broadcast live by SpaceX, the bagels grabbed the 70-meter-high step and locked it in place. The capture occurred after a flight of about nine minutes, when it separated from the second stage.
The two stages of the rocket – the largest and most powerful in the world – should, after their further development, be generally retracted after flight and reused. This strategy aims to encourage more missiles to be launched, and to do so more quickly and at less cost.
Elon Musk’s company has ambitions to use Starship to send people to Mars. The vehicle’s development has also been closely watched by NASA, which is counting on it to one day return its astronauts to the surface of the moon.
The Starship launch for the fifth test flight took place at 7:25 a.m. local time.
The rocket has a total height of 120 meters. It is composed of a “Super Heavy” stage and above it a second stage, which is the de facto Starship, from which the entire name of the launch vehicle is derived.
On each flight, the Super Heavy separated from the ship after lifting it with the help of its 33 powerful engines. Until now, this stage ended its journey in the sea, but this time SpaceX was able to return it to the launch pad in a few minutes later on.
This was achieved with the help of many years of effort, the company explained.
The Starship, for its part, continued on its way and finally ended up in the Indian Ocean, almost exactly where it had been planned.
The Starship was first able to gently dock in the Indian Ocean during the previous test flight four months ago. But then pieces of the thermal envelope broke off and the company completely renovated the spacecraft’s heat shield.