SpaceX achieved a monumental engineering feat on Sunday morning with the successful launch of the Starship spacecraft and the return of the Super Heavy booster back to the launch site. The 232-foot Super Heavy booster launched at 8:25 a.m. ET and was caught in mid-air by two massive metal arms, referred to as “chopsticks” by Elon Musk’s company.
The decision to attempt the return to the Texas launchpad was made mid-flight, with SpaceX engineers cheering as the booster was successfully caught. This achievement was hailed as “absolutely insane” and “magic” by the livestream host.
The return of the booster marks a significant milestone for the future of space travel, as the ability to reuse rocket parts for multiple launches can drastically change the economics of the industry. This achievement brings Musk’s vision to “revolutionize humanity’s ability to access space” closer to reality.
The successful test flight was a result of significant improvements made to the rocket since its first launch last April, which ended in an explosion. One crucial improvement was the rebuild of the Starship’s “heatshield” to withstand the temperatures of reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
The Starship remained in its test flight, expected to last around an hour, with the aim of landing in the Indian Ocean. While the booster successfully returned to Earth, the Starship is not yet built to survive the landing.
With over three million viewers tuning in to watch the livestream, SpaceX’s achievement has captivated audiences around the world. The company aims to continue pushing the boundaries of space travel, demonstrating techniques fundamental to Starship’s fully reusable design and bringing humanity closer to accessing space more easily and frequently.