SpaceX successfully recovers rocket “like magic” in Starship 5 test flight

SpaceX successfully recovered its first-stage rocket booster on Sunday, returning it to the launch pad after a test flight, another engineering feat in the space exploration company’s efforts to build a reusable vehicle for use on the moon and Mars.

SpaceX launches fifth Starship test launch with Super Heavy rocket.

The "Super Heavy" rocket lifted off from SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas launch pad, delivering the Starship second stage into space before separating at an altitude of about 70km to return to land - the most difficult part of the test flight.

The booster re-ignited its three Raptor engines to slow its descent back to SpaceX’s launch tower, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty at more than 400 feet tall and is topped with two large metal arms.

Amidst the roar of its engines, the 71-meter-tall Super Heavy rocket, which had been inserted into the arms of the launch tower, hooked itself into place using small protrusions beneath its four front mesh wings that it used to steer itself through the air.

"Launch tower has recovered the rocket," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote enthusiastically on social media platform X after the launch tower caught the rocket. Meanwhile, SpaceX engineers watching the company's livestream danced and cheered amid thunderous applause.

The novel recovery method marks the latest step in SpaceX's experimental development of a fully reusable rocket designed to carry more cargo into orbit, send humans to the Moon for NASA and eventually reach Mars — Musk's ultimate destination.

Meanwhile, Starship, the second stage or upper half of the rocket system, flew at more than 27,300 km/h, 140 km above the ground, heading towards the Indian Ocean near Western Australia to demonstrate the ability to make a controlled landing after about 90 minutes of flight.

The successful recovery of the Super Heavy rocket was described by SpaceX engineers as a miracle.

As Starship reentered Earth's atmosphere horizontally, onboard cameras showed a layer of smooth, purple-pink superheated plasma covering the ship's Earth-facing side and its two rudders — violent supersonic friction in a brilliant halo.

The ship's hot side is covered with 18,000 heat shields that have been improved since SpaceX's last test in June, when Starship completed its first full flight to the Indian Ocean but suffered a shield failure that made re-entry difficult.

This time, Starship appeared to be more intact as it restarted one of its six Raptor engines to position itself vertically for a simulated ocean landing.

SpaceX's live stream showed the rocket landing in offshore waters near Western Australia before tipping over, ending the test mission.

A separate view from a ship near the landing site showed the ship exploding into a large fireball, while SpaceX engineers could be heard on the live stream shouting in celebration. It is unclear whether the explosion was a controlled explosion or the result of a fuel leak.

Mr Musk said the ship landed “exactly on target”.

Starship, first announced by Mr Musk in 2017, has exploded multiple times during various test phases on previous flights, but successfully completed a full flight for the first time in June.

The US Federal Aviation Administration approved SpaceX's launch license for its fifth test on Saturday, after weeks of tension between the company and regulators.

(According to thenational)

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/spacex-thu-hoi-thanh-cong-ten-lua-nhu-mot-phep-thuat-trong-chuyen-thu-nghiem-starship-5-192241014065328155.htm