by Stephen Sorace at Fox Business
SpaceX made engineering history on Sunday during a test flight of the massive Starship rocket, catching the returning booster with mechanical arms dubbed “chopsticks” as it descended back to the launch pad.
The nearly 400-foot Starship rocket, which is designed to be reusable, launched from the company’s Starbase launch site near Boca Chica Village in South Texas.
As the 233-foot Super Heavy booster detached and fell back toward Earth, the booster’s 33 Raptor engines roared to slow its return to the launch site. The booster fell slowly into the tower’s metal arms and hooked itself into place on the first-ever attempt at using the novel catching method.
“The tower has caught the rocket!!” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted on X.
MUSK SAYS SPACEX COULD SEND 5 UNCREWED STARSHIPS TO MARS IN 2 YEARS
The tower has caught the rocket!!
pic.twitter.com/CPXsHJBdUh— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 13, 2024
The launchpad tower is outfitted with mechanical arms SpaceX’s Kate Tice called “chopsticks,” though fans have nicknamed the feature “Mechazilla.”…
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