SpaceX wants to recreate rocket catching with chopsticks during spaceship flights
SpaceX will launch its giant Starship rocket from South Texas on Tuesday, a key test that is expected to include a guest visit from President-elect Donald Trump.
The sixth major test mission comes as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is intensely engaged in transition planning for Trump’s second administration. Musk, who has been a near-constant factor in Trump’s inner circle since the Nov. 5 election, has maintained that over-regulation, especially around Starship, played a role in his decision to support the Republican.
SpaceX will attempt to launch Starship from its South Texas location during a 30-minute time slot beginning at 4:00 PM local time, sending the vehicle into space and partially around the world.
One of the most anticipated moments on Tuesday will be about seven minutes into the mission, when the company will attempt to capture the Super Heavy booster in mid-air with giant mechanical arms – known as “chopsticks” – and repeat the groundbreaking feat of his previous flight.
Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever developed, is under contract to function as a lunar lander that NASA will use to put humans back on the moon for the first time in half a century. It is the centerpiece of Musk’s ambition to establish a settlement on Mars.
The vehicle is also intended to revolutionize SpaceX’s business plan. Designed to be completely reusable, SpaceX claims Starship will be much cheaper to fly than any other rocket on the market and will eventually replace its flagship Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets to deliver cargo to orbit.
But to meet the promise of delivering a fully reusable rocket, SpaceX must refine its technology to retrieve all of the spacecraft’s components after launch.
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The launch will be the latest event Musk and Trump have attended together, following an Ultimate Fighting Championship match on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Trump has often showered Musk with praise at his rallies, often describing in detail his awe at watching SpaceX rockets.
During this flight, the company will once again attempt to “capture” the rocket’s massive booster, called Super Heavy, which is used to propel the Starship spacecraft into space during the first few minutes after liftoff. Like last time, the booster returns to its launch pad and slows itself down as it comes in for landing. A pair of giant mechanical arms then catch the booster and stop its fall.
The spaceship will attempt a fiery re-entry through the atmosphere and test an updated heat shield to protect it during the fall. It will then attempt to return to an upright position before ending up in the Indian Ocean.
Although most of Starship appeared to survive this process in October, parts of the vehicle appeared to burn down. However, the company was still able to crash the Starship into the ocean relatively intact and upright.
SpaceX should have better visibility this fall during Tuesday’s launch attempt. The company aims to launch in Texas in the afternoon, meaning Starship will land in the Indian Ocean during the day. That should provide more sunlight to show how the vehicle survives its descent.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said Friday that as many as 400 Starship flights are possible over the next four years. That frequency can only happen if SpaceX perfects its landing strategy so the company can quickly turn the rockets around for their next flights. Shotwell described the process as similar to the way airlines reduce the costs of owning and operating commercial jetliners.
During the test in October, the booster crashed very close to the tower, Musk said in a video on his X platform. SpaceX will have to address that problem, as well as a laundry list of other issues, such as refueling the vehicle in space, before Starship delivers on the full scope of Musk’s plans.
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