After propelling the ship, Super Heavy detaches from it and begins its descent. In October, rather than ending his journey in the sea, he had succeeded in an unprecedented maneuver. Slowed down using retrorockets, he returned to his launch pad and, just before hitting the ground, mechanical arms installed on the launch tower – nicknamed “wands” – closed around him and immobilized. But this time, SpaceX announced shortly after takeoff that the criteria were not met to attempt this operation, and Super Heavy ditched in the Gulf of Mexico where it disintegrated. For its part, the Starship continued its flight, before landing in the Indian Ocean during the day, allowing precious images to be filmed for the first time.
Giving rockets a second life
The rocket must ultimately be fully reusable and that is why SpaceX is seeking to catch up on its first stage. This strategy aims to be able to launch more machines more quickly, and for much less money than if it was necessary to use new equipment each time.
During the October test, the rocket gained a new admirer in the person of Donald Trump. In his victory speech on presidential election night, he described watching the rocket being caught and feeling like he was “in a movie.” “I called Elon. I said: Elon, was that you? He told me yes. I said: (…) Can Russia do it? No. Can China do it? No. Can the United States do it besides you? No,” the president-elect exclaimed. “I said, that’s why I love you, Elon, that’s awesome.”
The boss of SpaceX spent tens of millions of dollars to support the Republican’s campaign, and in exchange landed an advisory position – ignoring possible conflicts of interest, SpaceX having numerous contracts in progress with the American government.
A banana as your only cargo
The development of Starship is being carried out vigorously by the company, launching prototypes without cargo, in order to quickly correct the problems encountered in real flight situations. SpaceX, however, revealed that it was carrying cargo on board for the first time on Tuesday: a banana. Several of Starship’s first tests ended in explosions, leading to complaints from environmental groups. The Texas space base is in fact located near protected areas.
In a video posted in late October by Elon Musk showing him playing a video game, a man reporting on the fifth test in the background recounts how SpaceX was “one second” away from ordering the rocket to s crash next to the launch tower. But nothing seems to shake the boss’s confidence. “The first Starships to Mars will take off in two years,” recently said Elon Musk, known for his very optimistic predictions. “If these landings go well, the first crewed flights to Mars will take place in four years.” An objective shared by Donald Trump, who wants these missions to take place before the end of his mandate.
