SpaceX has shared footage, which you can watch below, showing a spectacular close-up view of the Starship’s launch and landing on Sunday.
The mission involved the fifth test flight of the Starship, comprising the first-stage Super Heavy booster and upper-stage Starship spacecraft.
The first video shows the 120-meter-tall vehicle roaring skyward from SpaceX’s facility in Boca Chica, Texas, creating 17 million pounds of thrust at launch as it goes.
Tower view at liftoff of Starship's fifth flight test pic.twitter.com/BAtcod2EVD
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 14, 2024
The next clip shows the extraordinary moment when the 70-meter-tall Super Heavy was secured by the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms as it returned to Earth just a few minutes after deploying the Starship spacecraft to orbit.
The final phase of Super Heavy's landing burn used the three center Raptor engines to precisely steer into catch position pic.twitter.com/BxQbOmT4yk
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 14, 2024
And this rocket’s-eye view shows the vehicle coming to rest on one of the arms.
Onboard view showing a catch fitting on Super Heavy as it contacts a chopstick catch beam pic.twitter.com/r1TVQEdITc
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 14, 2024
It was the first time for the Elon Musk-led spaceflight company to attempt the catch, and many doubted whether SpaceX would pull it off. But in a moment of pure brilliance, everything came together as the booster gently descended before nestling between the waiting arms of the launch tower.
The achievement is a big step forward for SpaceX as it readies the rocket for NASA’s Artemis III mission, which will involve putting the first woman and first person of color on the moon. In the mission, the Super Heavy will deploy the Starship spacecraft, which will make its way to a lunar orbit. There, two astronauts will transfer from NASA’s Orion spacecraft to the Starship, which will then descend to the lunar surface. The mission is currently scheduled for 2026, though the date could slip.
Before then, SpaceX will continue to test the Starship, refining the technology that powers the gigantic vehicle in a bid to get it ready for Artemis III.
The Starship spacecraft could eventually carry up to 100 crew members on a single flight. Elon Musk wants to use the vehicle for the first crewed trip to Mars, which could take place in the 2030s.