“SpaceX, under the leadership of Elon Musk, achieved yet another engineering milestone during its fifth Starship test flight. This time, the rocket’s towering first stage booster, also known as “Super Heavy,” was returned to its Texas launch pad using large mechanical arms. This achievement is a significant step forward in SpaceX’s mission to develop a reusable rocket for moon and Mars explorations.
The Super Heavy booster had an impressive take-off from SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas launch facilities at 7:25 a.m. CT (1225 GMT). After propelling the Starship second stage rocket towards space, it separated at an altitude of around 70 km (40 miles) for its daring return back to Earth.
Three of its 33 Raptor engines were re-lit to slow its swift descent back to the launch site. Its target? The very launch pad and tower it had earlier ascended from. The tower, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty at over 400 feet, is equipped with two large metal arms at its peak.
The Super Heavy booster, standing tall at 233 feet (71 metres), made its descent into the tower’s embracing arms. It secured itself using tiny bars protruding from the four forward grid fins that aided its navigation through the air.
“The tower has caught the rocket!!” an ecstatic Elon Musk announced on X, stirring a round of applause from SpaceX engineers who were watching the company’s live stream.
The innovative catch-landing method represents the latest progress in SpaceX’s test-to-failure approach to developing a fully reusable rocket. This rocket is designed to carry more cargo into space, transport humans to the moon for NASA, and eventually make it to Mars, in line with Musk’s vision.
While the Super Heavy was making its return, the second stage of Starship continued its journey in space at a speed of around 17,000 miles per hour, 89 miles above the Earth. Its destination was the Indian Ocean near western Australia, where it demonstrated a controlled splashdown around 90 minutes into the flight.
As it reentered the Earth’s atmosphere, onboard cameras captured a picturesque scene of superhot plasma engulfing the ship and its steering flaps, creating a glowing aura. This time around, Starship seemed more intact upon reigniting one of its six Raptor engines to position itself upright for the ocean landing.
The rocket was seen touching down in the waters off Australia’s coast under the cover of darkness, before tipping onto its side to wrap up its test mission. What followed was a massive fireball explosion, which led to cheers of excitement from SpaceX engineers. It remains unclear whether the explosion was planned or caused by a fuel leak.
Musk proudly announced that the ship had landed “precisely on target!”
Starship, which was first introduced by Musk in 2017, has had its share of explosion incidents during various testing stages. However, it completed a full flight for the first time in June. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration granted SpaceX a launch license for this fifth test on Saturday, following a series of discussions surrounding launch approvals and fines related to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.”
