In a groundbreaking achievement, SpaceX successfully completed the fifth flight test of Starship on Sunday, October 13, 2024.
This mission marked a significant step towards demonstrating the fully reusable design of the Starship and Super Heavy systems.
For the first time, SpaceX’s “Mechazilla” launch and catch tower successfully caught the Super Heavy booster using its chopstick arms.
After a flawless liftoff, the booster completed its ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and landing burn before being caught at Starbase. Thousands of vehicle and pad criteria had to align for this ambitious feat, and SpaceX achieved it on the first attempt, which is mind-boggling.
Check out the booster catch below:
Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! pic.twitter.com/6R5YatSVJX
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 13, 2024
If you take a look at the photo below, the Super Heavy booster was caught by aligning two hooks on the “chopsticks”, and it’s not resting on grid fins. This makes the landing and accuracy even more impressive.
Close-up of the booster after the catch 😲 From afar, it looks like it was caught on the grid fins, but it's actually on the chopsticks with small hooks! https://t.co/snZPMTKd5v pic.twitter.com/0Z32Gnot9R
— Jenny Hautmann (@JennyHPhoto) October 13, 2024
During the same mission, Starship itself executed a hot-staging separation, igniting its six Raptor engines as it continued its journey into outer space.
After coasting along its planned trajectory to the other side of the planet, Starship performed a controlled reentry and landed in the Indian Ocean 1 hour, 5 minutes, and 40 seconds after launch.
This test represents a major leap toward SpaceX’s goal of creating a fully reusable spaceflight system capable of carrying crew and cargo to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Flight 6 was already approved, just like Flight 5 was, with the FAA approving this on Saturday.
The SpaceX team, customers, and the global spaceflight community are celebrating this significant milestone in the quest to make life multiplanetary. SpaceX has also released a fun game where you can “catch the booster” here.