1. SpaceX successfully caught the Super Heavy booster using “chopstick” arms at its Starbase site in Texas during the fifth Starship test flight.
  2. The FAA approved the launch earlier than expected, allowing SpaceX to proceed with the suborbital test flight.

SpaceX has achieved a major milestone in its Starship development program by successfully catching a returning booster for the first time. The fifth test flight took place on Sunday at SpaceX’s Starbase in southeast Texas, featuring the nearly 400-foot-tall Starship vehicle. The company used a pair of oversized “chopsticks” attached to the launch tower to catch the Super Heavy booster as it returned to the launch site.

SpaceX has set its sights on developing a fully reusable Starship vehicle, which includes the upper stage and the Super Heavy booster. The focus of this test was two-fold: to attempt the first “catch” of the Super Heavy booster and to achieve an on-target splashdown of the Starship upper stage in the Indian Ocean. The controlled reentry and splashdown had already been successfully tested in June.

This booster catch is a breakthrough, with SpaceX comparing it to the routine Falcon 9 booster landings. The booster hovered and positioned itself within the range of the chopstick arms, which then closed to secure it. SpaceX reported that thousands of criteria had to be met for this attempt to occur.

Notably, the FAA approved the launch sooner than anticipated, stating that SpaceX had met all safety and environmental requirements. SpaceX engineers have been refining the vehicle and launch systems, including upgrades to the thermal protection system and launch pad water deluge system.

“With each flight building on the learnings from the last, testing improvements in hardware and operations across every facet of Starship, we’re on the verge of demonstrating techniques fundamental to Starship’s fully and rapidly reusable design,” the company stated.

Edited by Harshajit Sarmah

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