Home Why SpaceX successfully landing Starship booster on launch pad is historic

Why SpaceX successfully landing Starship booster on launch pad is historic

TLDR

  • SpaceX successfully landed its Starship's first-stage booster on the launch pad for the first time.
  • The Starship, the largest rocket ever built, was launched for the fifth time on October 13.
  • This achievement advances SpaceX's goal of creating a fully reusable rocket system.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by successfully landing a section of its Starship back on its launch pad for the first time. This brings the company significantly closer to realizing its goal of creating a fully reusable and rapidly deployable rocket system.

The Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built at 400 feet (122 meters) tall, was launched for the fifth time on Sunday (Oct. 13), from SpaceX’s Starbase in South Texas. In a major achievement, the rocket’s massive first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, was returned to its launch pad for the first time using giant mechanical arms.

Normally, the lower stage falls away. However, in this case, 65 minutes after liftoff, it re-engaged and traveled back towards the launch pad. As it approached at supersonic speed, the engines turned on to slow it down. As it came closer, most of the engines were then turned off so that it could gently maneuver towards the pad and then come towards the “chopstick” arms in an unprecedented move.

This catch-landing method represents the latest advancement in SpaceX’s test-to-failure approach, aimed at developing a fully reusable rocket. The Starship is designed to carry more cargo into orbit, transport humans to the moon for NASA, and ultimately fulfill Musk’s vision of reaching Mars.

Writing on X, the billionaire wrote: “The tower has caught the rocket!!”

Meanwhile, the Starship—the rocket system’s second stage or upper half—traveled at around 17,000 miles per hour, reaching an altitude of 89 miles in space. It was headed toward the Indian Ocean near western Australia, aiming to demonstrate a controlled splashdown approximately 90 minutes into the flight.

Previous SpaceX Starship launch attempts

First unveiled by Musk in 2017, the Starship has experienced multiple explosions during various stages of testing on previous flights. In March, ReadWrite reported that the massive craft successfully reached a suborbital coast before plunging down harmlessly into the Indian Ocean. Then in June, it successfully completed a full flight for the first time.

Ahead of the fifth test, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted SpaceX’s launch license on Saturday, following weeks of tension between the company and the regulator. This friction stemmed from disputes over the pace of launch approvals and fines imposed on SpaceX related to its Falcon 9 rocket.

In response to the fine, Musk has previously threatened legal action against the FAA. SpaceX also issued a public blog post refuting “false reporting” that claimed part of the rocket was causing environmental pollution.

Featured image: SpaceX

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Suswati Basu
Tech journalist

Suswati Basu is a multilingual, award-winning editor and the founder of the intersectional literature channel, How To Be Books. She was shortlisted for the Guardian Mary Stott Prize and longlisted for the Guardian International Development Journalism Award. With 18 years of experience in the media industry, Suswati has held significant roles such as head of audience and deputy editor for NationalWorld news, digital editor for Channel 4 News and ITV News. She has also contributed to the Guardian and received training at the BBC As an audience, trends, and SEO specialist, she has participated in panel events alongside Google. Her…

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