SpaceX on Sunday managed an amazing maneuver to catch up with the first stage of its Starship megarocket during a test flight, the first step that could be a decisive step towards the reuse of this heavy launcher.
Before the Super Heavy stage reached the ground, mechanical arms installed on the launch tower, called “the wands,” closed around it and immobilized it, according to the video broadcast from Elon Musk’s company.
The two stages of the rocket – the largest and most powerful in the world – must be recovered and reused after each flight at the end of its development. A strategy focused on being able to ship more machines faster, and for much less money.
Billionaire Elon Musk’s company aims to use Starship to colonize Mars. NASA also closely monitors the development of the spacecraft, which is counting on it to return its astronauts to the surface of the Moon.
120 meters high
This 5th Starship test flight took place at 7:25 local time (2:25 pm in Switzerland) from the company’s Starbase space base, far south of Texas in the United States.
The rocket consists of the Super Heavy first stage and, above it, the Starship, which gradually gives its name to the entire launcher. Super Trom alone is about 70 meters high (the whole rocket is 120).
33 engines
During each flight, Super Heavy separates from the ship after propelling it using its 33 powerful engines. Until now, it was going to end its journey in the sea, but this time SpaceX managed to get it back on its launch pad, from the first attempt of this delicate maneuver, about nine minutes after take off .
For its part, the Starship will continue its flight until it lands in the Indian Ocean. For the first time ever it landed smoothly in this ocean during the previous test flight, four months ago.
answer/ther