SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft has successfully lifted off on its fifth test flight from a launch pad in Texas.
This latest launch was the company’s first attempt to bring the Super Heavy rocket back to the launch tower and grab it using giant robotic arms.
It separated from the starship at a height of 74 km, writes news.sky.com.
Then, as planned, she returned to Boca Chica, on the Mexican border, where she was caught and secured in place with what is described as “sticks”.
It can be said that they look more like metal arms or giant pincers.
The Starship, meanwhile, will land in the Indian Ocean, west of Australia.
Starship and Super Heavy are designed to carry crew and cargo to the Moon and beyond – and be reusable.
Starship and Super Heavy are designed to carry crew and cargo to the Moon and beyond – and be reusable.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the launch only yesterday, several weeks earlier than expected.
The FAA previously said a decision on Starship 5 was not expected until late November.
But he stated that Elon Musk’s company a “met all safety, environmental and other clearance requirements for the suborbital test flight”.
It also approved the Starship 6 mission profile.
Musk has harshly criticized the FAA — in part because of the delay in approving the license for Starship 5, which SpaceX said was ready in August.
SpaceX describes Starship as “the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed,” capable of carrying up to 150 metric tons.
