Watch SpaceX rocket booster being caught by giant 'chopsticks' on launch pad after test flight

Watch SpaceX rocket booster being caught by giant 'chopsticks' on launch pad after test flight

SpaceX in its fifth Starship test flight on Sunday (October 13) returned the rocket's towering first stage booster back to its Texas launch pad for the first time using giant metal arms, achieving another novel engineering feat in the company's push to build a reusable moon and Mars vehicle.

The rocket's first stage "Super Heavy" booster lifted off at 7:25 a.m. CT (1225 GMT) from SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas launch facilities, sending the Starship second stage rocket toward space before separating at an altitude of roughly 70 km (40 miles) to begin its return to land.

The Super Heavy booster re-lit three of its 33 Raptor engines to slow its speedy descent back to SpaceX's launch site, as it targeted the launch tower it had blasted off from. The tower is fitted with two large metal arms.

With its engines roaring, the 233 foot (71 metres)-tall Super Heavy booster fell into the launch tower's arms, hooking itself in place by its four forward grid fins it used to steer itself through the air.

The novel catch-landing method is the latest advance in SpaceX's test-to-failure development campaign for a fully reusable rocket designed to loft more cargo into orbit, ferry humans to the moon for NASA and eventually reach Mars - the ultimate destination envisioned by CEO Elon Musk.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday approved SpaceX's launch license for the Starship test, following weeks of tension between the company and its regulator over the pace of launch approvals and fines related to SpaceX's workhorse rocket, the Falcon 9.

Starship, first unveiled by Musk in 2017, has exploded several times in various stages of testing on past flights, but successfully completed a full flight in June for the first time. The two-stage rocket's Super Heavy booster lifted off from Texas sending the second stage - Starship - on a near-orbital path bound for the Indian Ocean some 90 minutes later, acing a fiery hypersonic reentry.

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#spacex #rocket

[R_D]

Landing the Falcon-9 boosters was/is a nice piece of engineering, but this is a special kind of technological marvel! Very cool!

[campervannation]

They landed a tube ....it hasnt even got any stabalizing wings. Respect earnt.

[trevorlangfield]

What a phenomenal achievement, makes me proud just to be human, so no wonder the guys that are actually responsible are going crazy about it.

[stevendimmock]

Unbelievable!! I'm 64 years old and remember watching the space launches in the 60's. Not a lot was salvageable. But to this, I have to say 'unbelievable' again. It's a wonder a team of mechanics didn't suddenly appear and start getting it ready for the next mission!

[RW-zhkl]

"Great catch" is the understatement of the century

[janmargaret]

Like something out of a sci fi film. Fabulous. 😁

[stephenbarr]

Must have watched that about 50 times by now, absolutely incredible 😮

[Dabhach]

Never seen anything like this outside a sci-fi movie. Absolutely astonishing.

[segs]

And these videos do not even do justice to the weight, speed of this event.

[johnridley]

Thunderbirds are Go, anything can happen in the next half hour, and we just saw it!

[carsten-hsgs]

Cutting edge space technology for rocket launchers. Brilliant result !

[chungasrevenge]

A truly fantastic achievement by the space x team.

[BillSmith]

I loved hearing the people cheering for this. The dedication to making this happen paid off. Amazing feat.

[SuperBossas]

I am from South Africa and watching this gave me goosebumps, thinking the man behind this is from here...

[АккСв]

It's fantastic.l'm watching from Ukraine

[Ivanna_Jerkov]

Elon will have people living on Mars by the time Boeing gets a crew into orbit and back in one piece.

[tetractysAur]

Meanwhile Chinese Tofu Rockets explodes few months ago 😂

[MikeBCNU]

Im just amazed at the stuff we do here.. unbelievable

[boringlyawesum]

it's like scoring the ultimate goal

[polh.]

It’s like come to mama. Super amazing, congratulations Space X, Respect to you all