SpaceX is recognizing its engineers as the company readies for its inaugural attempt to “catch” a first-stage Super Heavy booster upon its return to Earth.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the company shared two images that mimic the famous Lunch Atop a Skyscraper photograph taken in New York City in 1932. SpaceX noted that its engineers have dedicated “years” to preparing for this booster catch during the upcoming fifth test flight of Starship. The post also featured a visual of what the first-stage Super Heavy booster will look like when it is secured between the tower’s massive mechanical arms after launching the upper-stage Starship spacecraft into orbit.
SpaceX engineers have spent years preparing and months testing for the booster catch attempt on Flight 5, with technicians pouring tens of thousands of hours into building the infrastructure to maximize our chances for success pic.twitter.com/YzBUxY9c5t
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 25, 2024
SpaceX’s focus on reusing rocket components is central to its mission, as it significantly lowers the costs of space travel and enables a higher frequency of launches. The company has successfully reused the first stage and payload fairing of its mainstay Falcon 9 rocket, along with the more robust Falcon Heavy, which consists of three Falcon 9 boosters merged together.
The company is now advancing its development of the even more powerful Starship, which consists of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft. Once thoroughly tested, both of these components are designed for reuse.
“Many people may not fully grasp how significant achieving complete reusability is,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated in a recent update on X.
He elaborated: “It stands as the holy grail of rocketry and is the essential breakthrough to make life multiplanetary. Starship is designed for full and rapid reusability — launch, land, refill propellant, and launch again immediately! This capability will permit a flight rate that far exceeds that of Falcon 9, which still requires a new upper stage for each mission. Falcon 9 launches occur every 2 to 3 days.”
SpaceX is poised to launch Starship on its fifth test flight from the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. However, it awaits approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is not expected until late November, as the agency prepares a launch license for the company. There has been considerable frustration from SpaceX regarding the delay, but the FAA has indicated that the review will take longer than anticipated due to modifications made by SpaceX to the mission profile for the upcoming test.
