Elon Musk’s company Space X launched Starship, the most powerful rocket in the world, and during this flight they managed to do something that had never been done before.
For the first time, the company attempted to return and safely land a rocket launcher, called Super Heavy.
After launch, the carrier returned towards the launch site where it was successfully captured by a set of massive metal arms.
“This is absolutely crazy!” screamed SpaceX engineer Kate Tice during the live stream.
This is the fifth test of the Starship. The last one was performed in March of this year. Then the rocket was destroyed during the return to Earth after reaching further than ever. The spacecraft then far surpassed its two previous flights, which were cut short by explosions minutes after launch.
Starship is the official NASA lander for the Artemis lunar expeditions. Starship – in the HLS version – is expected to carry three humans to the lunar surface and back into lunar orbit in 2026. The schedule is tight, which worries Nasa.
For this, it will be necessary to develop and thoroughly test the technology of touching cooled fuel in space. Starships are powered by chilled oxygen and methane. Heating it repels it, and that will be the key puzzle.
The procedure will go something like this: The HLS will be launched into low Earth orbit, after which it will be launched with a large number of Starship tankers that will provide it with propellant for the journey to the Moon and back to lunar orbit. . It is not known how many, but recently the number of 16 is being talked about in the professional media. And it will be an unusual undertaking: the launch of more than ten super-heavy launchers in two weeks. For this purpose, SpaceX is setting up additional launch sites.
Even before 2026, HLS will have to land on the Moon independently, without a crew. It will also be the moment when the revolution in rocket technology will begin. NASA’s SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will prove redundant, and Starship will pave the way not only to the Moon, but also to Mars.
Assuming, of course, that it will be as reliable and cheap as the company promises.
Starship is a 121-meter-tall rocket with the capacity to carry 150 tons of payload on a low-ground rail or 250 tons for a single use.
The company is already planning the next, more powerful version.
