Photo : AP
Elon Musk's SpaceX made headlines on Sunday with a groundbreaking achievement in space technology. The company successfully intercepted the returning booster of its Starship rocket using mechanical arms located on its launch pad. This innovative method marks the first time SpaceX has recovered a rocket booster directly on the launch pad, as opposed to the traditional practice of landing it on floating platforms in the ocean.
During a test flight on October 13, 2024, in Boca Chica, Texas, the returning booster was captured just seven minutes after launch. The launch pad featured enormous mechanical arms, colloquially referred to as "chopsticks," which were designed specifically for this purpose. As the 232-foot (71-meter) booster descended, these arms expertly grasped it, successfully securing the rocket.
Elon Musk shared a stunning video of the capture on the social media platform X, showcasing the precision of the operation. SpaceX engineers expressed their exhilaration at the successful catch, with one engineer, Dan Huot, remarking, “Even in this day and age, what we just saw is magic. I am shaking right now.” Kate Tice, another SpaceX team member, called it “a day for the engineering history books” during the broadcast from the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
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This remarkable feat occurred during the fifth test flight of the Starship rocket and demonstrates SpaceX's ongoing commitment to developing fully reusable rockets. The catch-landing method not only enhances the potential for space tourism but also increases safety for future human and cargo missions to the moon and Mars.
The successful recovery has ignited enthusiasm among space enthusiasts and industry observers. India's Anand Mahindra expressed his excitement, stating, “This experiment may just be the critical moment when space travel was democratized and made routine.” He playfully asked Musk where he could purchase a ticket for this exciting new era of space exploration.
As SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of rocket technology, the successful capture of the Starship booster on the launch pad represents a significant step forward in making space travel more accessible and sustainable for the future.
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