Starship caught with ‘chopsticks’

The extraordinary booster landing suggests SpaceX will deliver its huge reusable craft

In an unprecedented landing on 13 October 2024, SpaceX successfully caught the booster stage of its massive new Starship spacecraft with a giant pair of mechanical arms as it hovered in mid-air next to its launch tower. It was the fifth test flight for Starship, a 71-metre-tall (233ft) heavy-lift launch vehicle that SpaceX hopes will one day take humans to the Moon and perhaps onwards to Mars. The system is designed to be reusable, meaning each section of the spacecraft needs to be able to land safely after each use. Like SpaceX’s other rocket series, the Falcon, Starship uses thrusters to guide its booster stage back down to Earth. But while the Falcons are able to deploy landing legs, these would be unfeasible on the much larger and heavier Starship.…

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BBC Sky at Night United Kingdom (Digital) - 1 Issue, December 2024

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