SpaceX has been making big promises about the Starship for some time. On Sunday, SpaceX took a massive leap toward fulfilling its extensive commitments. Starship launched on its fifth test flight cruise to the Indian Ocean.
More importantly, SpaceX launched "chopstick" arms, a first in aerospace engineering that brings Starship closer to full reusability.
SpaceX can now point to some extraordinary achievements in the past two test flights. This comes only eighteen months after its inaugural flight, which saw the vehicle blown apart not long after launch.
SpaceX argues that these failures are also part of its development plan - to launch early in the expectation of failure so that it can collect as much data as possible and develop its systems quicker than its rivals.
Following the launch from SpaceX's Boca Chica facility on Sunday, the booster returned to the same launch tower. The FAA took its time evaluating this ambitious flight plan, issuing SpaceX a license just one day before the planned launch. Super Heavy's 33 Raptor engines blasted the vehicle toward the heavens, firing for more than two minutes before disengaging. Starship used its six Raptor engines to pull away from Super Heavy and head briefly into space.
Four earlier Starship launches highlighted SpaceX's 'fail fast, learn faster' approach For SpaceX, it is OK to blow up a rocket, as long as the failure provides the data to fix the problems on the next try.
SpaceX staff erupted in cheers and applause as the falling booster reignited three of its Raptor engines, slowed its rapid descent and swung towards the “mechazilla” launch tower, where it was held fast by the mechanical arms, labelled “chopsticks”.
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