Musk’s Starship makes history:Spacecraft caught at launch pad for first time after returning from space; booster explosion foils double-catch plan

Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s most powerful rocket, ‘Starship 15’, has achieved something no rocket has ever done before. The rocket took off from Starbase on 14 November, entered orbit and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites. It completed 14 orbits around Earth and remained in Earth’s orbit for around 22 hours. On 15 November, it returned and landed on the same tower from which it had taken off. In other words, two giant robotic arms, also known as chopstick arms, caught the rocket. This marks a complete round trip, travelling from the launch pad to orbit and returning to the same launch pad. The most difficult part was the ship’s return. The booster had already been caught three times. However, the ship returning from orbital speed, surviving re-entry, flipping around, coming to a halt mid-air and landing in the arms had never been achieved before. The Starship spacecraft (upper section) and the Super Heavy booster (lower section) are collectively known as ‘Starship’. The vehicle stands 403 feet tall. This was the 15th test flight of Starship. It was launched from Starbase in Texas, US, at 4:15 am IST on Saturday, 15 November. Two pictures of Starship at Starbase… The booster failed, but the mission did not stop SpaceX’s plan was a “double catch”: to bring back both the booster and the spacecraft. However, the booster encountered a technical problem while returning. The controller diverted it away from the tower towards the Gulf of Mexico, where it exploded. This was the V3 booster. SpaceX has caught the older version three times, but this was its first attempt to catch the V3. SpaceX’s Kate Tice said, “The booster’s engines shut down too early while it was returning.” The booster’s guidance system determined that it was not in the correct position, so it automatically began diverting towards the water and initiated self-destruction. What a Full Round Trip Will Change 1. Spaceflight will now be like air travel: The Falcon 9 only saved the booster. Starship saves the entire rocket. No part needs to be discarded or retrieved from the sea. Land, refuel and fly again. SpaceX is targeting one launch a week by the first half of 2027. 2. Data centres in space are now a reality: Musk’s plan is to create a network of up to 10 lakh satellites in orbit that will function as data centres for AI. Solar power in space is available 24/7, cooling is free, and permits for land, water and electricity are not required. Starship can carry more than 100 tonnes of supplies at a time and bring them back as well. 3. The path to the Moon and Mars is open: An uncrewed landing on the Moon in 2027; Starship is the lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis programme. For Mars, the spacecraft will have to be refuelled in orbit, which will require dozens of launches. This is possible only with a fully reusable rocket. A new $100 billion launch site is being built in Louisiana.