- SpaceX successfully caught its Super Heavy booster using a novel “chopsticks” system during Starship’s fifth test flight.
- The test marked another step toward making Starship fully reusable, critical for future Moon and Mars missions.
SpaceX successfully completed a significant milestone in its Starship program, catching a returning Super Heavy booster using an innovative “chopsticks” mechanism attached to the launch tower. This historic achievement took place on Sunday at SpaceX’s Starbase in southeast Texas, during the fifth test flight of the nearly 400-foot Starship.
The test was part of SpaceX’s long-term vision for rapid reuse of the Starship vehicle, which consists of an upper stage (also named Starship) and the Super Heavy booster. This reusability is essential not only for SpaceX’s multi-planetary ambitions but also for NASA’s Artemis program, aimed at returning humans to the Moon.
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The primary goals of this test included the first-ever catch of the Super Heavy booster and a controlled reentry and splashdown of the Starship upper stage in the Indian Ocean. While SpaceX had already mastered the Starship’s controlled descent in a previous test, the booster catch was unprecedented in rocketry. Similar in concept to Falcon 9 booster landings, the Super Heavy hovered near the chopstick arms, which then closed around the booster after engine shutdown.
This achievement came earlier than anticipated, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) initially suggesting a late November approval. However, the FAA cleared the flight on Saturday, noting that all safety and environmental standards had been met.
SpaceX engineers have been refining the Starship system in recent months, upgrading the thermal protection system, software, and launch tower capabilities. The next phase will involve attempts to recover the Starship upper stage as well, advancing the company’s goal of creating a fully reusable spacecraft to revolutionize space travel.
