On October 13, US time, SpaceX conducted its fifth test flight of the “Starship” in Texas, according to various media reports. During this launch, SpaceX successfully captured the Super Heavy rocket as it returned to Earth using the mechanical arm on the launch tower.
When asked about the significance of this fifth test flight, a SpaceX representative noted that it represents a bold challenge: to catch the returning “Super Heavy” rocket using a structure referred to as “Chopsticks,” which is part of the massive launch platform. This approach differs from how SpaceX traditionally retrieves its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
The “Starship” rocket stands approximately 120 meters tall and has a diameter of about 9 meters. It consists of two main components: a 70-meter-long Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft itself, both designed for reuse. The primary mission of this rocket is to transport people and cargo to Earth’s orbit, the Moon, and even Mars.
So far, “Starship” has undergone four orbital test flights. The first flight in April 2023 ended in an explosion before the separation of the first and second stages. In the second flight in November 2023, both stages successfully separated, but both the booster and spacecraft exploded afterward. The third flight in March 2024 also saw successful separation; however, the booster disintegrated during a landing attempt, and the spacecraft lost communication upon re-entering the atmosphere. In the fourth flight in June 2024, both stages separated as planned, landing in the Gulf of Mexico and the Indian Ocean respectively.
