TEXAS: SpaceX conducted its fifth test flight of the Starship, successfully returning the towering first stage booster to its Texas launch pad on Sunday for the first time using massive metal arms. This achievement marks another significant engineering milestone in the company’s quest to develop a reusable vehicle for moon and Mars missions.
The Super Heavy booster lifted off at 7:25 AM CT (12:25 GMT) from SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas facility, propelling the Starship second stage rocket into space. The two stages separated at approximately 70 km (40 miles) altitude, allowing the booster to begin its return back to land.
To slow its rapid descent, the Super Heavy re-ignited three of its 33 Raptor engines as it aimed for the launch tower from which it had blasted off. The tower, equipped with two large metal arms, successfully “caught” the booster as it descended, securing it in place with its four forward grid fins used for steering.
“The tower has caught the rocket!!” Musk announced on X after the catch attempt. This innovative catch-landing technique is part of SpaceX’s ongoing test-to-failure development campaign for creating a fully reusable rocket that can carry more cargo into orbit, transport humans to the moon for NASA, and eventually reach Mars, Musk’s ultimate goal.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration granted SpaceX’s launch license for this Starship test just days prior, after a week of tension regarding the pace of launch approvals and fines linked to the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.
Starship, initially introduced by Musk in 2017, has seen several explosions during its testing phases. However, it successfully completed a full flight in June, with the Super Heavy booster launching from Texas and sending the second stage—Starship—on a near-orbital trajectory toward the Indian Ocean, culminating in a fiery hypersonic reentry about 90 minutes later.
