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gettyimages.comHistoric Starship Chopsticks Catch
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SpaceX achieved a historic milestone in spaceflight on October 13, 2024, when it successfully caught the returning Super Heavy booster of its Starship rocket using massive mechanical arms dubbed "chopsticks" at the launch tower, marking a significant advancement in rocket reusability and bringing the company closer to its goal of interplanetary travel.
SpaceX rocket booster makes successful landing after test launch
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In a first, Starship megarocket booster caught by SpaceX's 'chopsticks'
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SpaceX successfully catches returning Starship booster | TechCrunch
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Historic Booster Catch
space.com
The groundbreaking test flight of SpaceX's Starship rocket system took place at 7:25 am local time on October 13, 2024, from the company's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas
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. After stage separation, the 232-foot Super Heavy booster executed a controlled descent back to the launch site, where it was successfully caught by the launch tower's massive mechanical arms, nicknamed "chopsticks," approximately seven minutes after liftoff1
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. This marked the first-ever attempt to catch and recover the Starship booster directly at the launch pad, representing a major leap forward in SpaceX's pursuit of rapid rocket reusability4
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Engineering Feat Details
The "chopsticks" arms, part of the launch tower dubbed "Mechazilla" by Elon Musk, are a pair of enormous metal appendages designed to catch the descending 232-foot (71-meter) stainless steel booster
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. This innovative catching mechanism required precise coordination, with thousands of distinct vehicle and pad criteria needing to be met prior to the catch attempt2
. The booster decelerated from supersonic speeds before being embraced by the powerful arms, demonstrating SpaceX's engineering prowess in achieving controlled landings of massive rocket components3
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Significance and Reactions
The successful booster catch was met with jubilant reactions from SpaceX employees and executives. Kate Tice, SpaceX manager of quality systems engineering, declared it "a day for the engineering history books," while company spokesperson Dan Huot exclaimed, "Even in this day and age, what we just saw, that looked like magic."
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NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX, emphasizing the importance of continued Starship testing for future Artemis missions to the Moon.3
This achievement represents a significant step towards SpaceX's goals of rapid rocket reusability, potentially revolutionizing space access by reducing costs and turnaround time between launches.4
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Future Space Exploration
Apu Gomes
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gettyimages.comThe successful Starship test flight brings SpaceX closer to its ambitious goals of supporting NASA's Artemis program for lunar missions and eventual crewed expeditions to Mars
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. With NASA having commissioned two Starships to land astronauts on the moon later this decade, the rapid reusability demonstrated by the booster catch could significantly accelerate the timeline for these missions2
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. Elon Musk envisions Starship as the key to making life multi-planetary, with the ability to transport people and supplies to both the Moon and Mars2
. This breakthrough in rocket recovery technology may pave the way for more frequent and cost-effective deep space exploration, potentially revolutionizing humanity's access to and presence in the solar system.3 sources
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Starship's Crucial Engine Relight
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Starship's Unscheduled Disassembly
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