On Sunday, the 13th of October 2024, SpaceX created history by ‘catching’ its booster after the rocket launch and facilitating its safe landing back on Earth. The incredible feat was achieved during the fifth flight test of SpaceX Starship. The stunning spectacle of the epic catch and the rocket exploding into the water was caught on video by ship-mounted and buoy-mounted cameras.
What does this mean for the future of the space industry and future space missions? The booster catch was a significant step towards the implementation of fully reusable rocket systems. The implications are profound. Reusable space vehicles will not just slash costs by millions but also contribute to reducing space junk.
From Starbase, near Boca Chica, Texas, SpaceX’s fifth test flight Starship was carried into space by a 233-foot-tall Super Heavy booster. Three 33 Raptor engines propelled it into the air, roaring. Nearly three minutes after liftoff, roughly at 70km altitude, the booster separated and was subsequently caught using giant mechanical arms resembling chopsticks. Boosters usually explode midflight or land in water after separating from the rocket. They are completely destroyed after completing their mission, rendering them unusable after a single launch.
At first, SpaceX’s booster was made to gently descend and softly land on a launch pad, where a stop stick-like system grabbed it safely maneuvering it into the launching tower. The epic landing looked like something straight out of a sci-fi film, as seen in the video footage. SpaceX employees cheered as humanity came to the realization it had entered a new era of space technology. SpaceX had accomplished the seemingly impossible– what was thought to be the stuff of movies.
Nearly an hour after Super Heavy made its way back home, the Starship followed suit and landed in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia in a dramatic show of fire and water as if affirming the success of the mission.
SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has had this vision for years. In a 2001 interview for a news channel, he said that people thought he had lost his mind when he proposed the idea of reusable rockets.
After the historic feat, Elon Musk declared on X that Starship had achieved a precise, soft landing in the ocean, leading to its return to the launch site and being caught by the tower arms, like the booster.
He noted that full & rapid reusability improved the cost of access to orbit & beyond by >10,000%. He further added that this was the fundamental technology breakthrough man needed to make life multi-planetary and for humanity to become a true spacefaring civilization.
SpaceX official account on X posted the video of the astounding sight that unfolded as Starship became one with the Indian Ocean. The caption described how the controlled entry and high-accuracy splashdown at the targeted area in the Indian Ocean was made possible by vehicle improvements that ensured flaps were protected from high heating.
Elon Musk finally revealed his plan to step up the game to catch the ship next year along with the booster, hinting at another giant technological leap towards sustainable space equipment in a not-so-distant future. This would mean cutting spaceflight costs by an estimated 10 times and eliminating the current safety concern of space junk falling to the earth’s surface. Overall, it seems like the future of the space industry is shining bright with Musk and his brainchild SpaceX.
